


Jesters of the Moon

by Auragongal



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Original Character(s), Other, Reincarnated!Beryl, Teenage!Chibiusa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-07-15 07:17:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16058210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auragongal/pseuds/Auragongal
Summary: For Megumi Asakura, all she wants is to protect her friends, but unable to become a Senshi, it seems her dreams are crushed. However, when a great tragedy occurs, a character from her favorite cartoon comes to life and offers her a chance to get her wish granted.She may not be a senshi, but to protect Princess Usagi Serenity Tsukino Chiba, Megumi will do what she can to help.Even if she is the unknowing reincarnation of Queen Beryl...





	1. Megumi

Megumi Asakura, age four was shy as she held her mother's hand. She was visiting her cousin's condo, and she didn't understand why her mother had to go away for a little while. She had never met her cousin Nico before, but as the door opened, she smiled at the blue-eyed and brown-haired man before shyly hiding behind her stuffed animal- a strange, handmade hybrid between a rabbit and a lion with a red nose and black button eyes. He was a tall man, to the little girl, with a kind face and a pen stuck behind his ear, he also wore a t-shirt and jeans as he looked in surprise towards the tall, raven-haired woman and her red-headed daughter.  
  
"Oh, Aunt Ichigo, you're here," he said before looking down at the shy little girl holding her mother's hand, "Is that Megumi?"  
  
"Yes," said Ichigo, the woman looking rather stern in her business suit and red glasses, her gray eyes looking hard and cold in comparison to the warm red eyes Megumi had, "And I would appreciate that you keep an eye on her while I'm away in America on business."  
  
"Of course, anything for my cousin," Nico said with a smile, before getting down at eye level with Megumi, "Hey, nice to meet you, Megumi!"  
  
"H-Hello..." Megumi said with a small smile of her own as her mother carried her bag into the apartment, the little girl hugging her doll as she followed her mother, before climbing onto the couch to sit down once prompted by her cousin. She listened as her mother went over what to do and what not to do, causing the little girl to curl up with her doll as she worried that Nico would be mean like her mother was sometimes.  
  
When they were done, however, Nico silently let her mother out of the room, before turning towards Megumi with a dark look on his face.  
  
"Megumi..." he said coldly, causing the girl to whimper in fear as she held up her doll defensively.  
  
"K-Kiko w-will keep me safe!" she said, causing Nico to laugh as he walked over to her, and began tickling her sides to make her laugh.  
  
"Will Kiko protect you from this?" he asked before laughing evilly as he continued the tickle torture before Megumi turned red in the face. Once that happened, he stopped and hugged his cousin gently before he started smiling again.  
  
"Hey, don't worry," he said to Megumi, "I'll just be your friend, instead of just someone to take care of you, ok?"  
  
"O-Ok..." Megumi said with a small smile as she hugged her doll again.  
  
"So, how about some ice cream?" Nico then asked causing Megumi to smile wider and nod as her cousin headed into the kitchen to get her a treat.  
  


(....O....)  


Megumi woke up with a start, the eight-year-old having had another nightmare about the scary woman in purple and the sailor senshi that killed her. It was always from the scary woman's point of view, causing Megumi to worry and wonder why she'd had these nightmares. The Sailor Senshi were always heroic, especially Neo-Queen Serenity, the one who was once called Sailor Moon before she handed the mantle to her daughter. In fact, as she crawled out of bed to get a glass of water, she wondered what was going on, before she heard arguing coming from the living room.  
  
"I told you, I don't want anything to do with you two!" she heard Nico say in rage, "I'm not him!"  
  
"Yes, you are," she then heard a cool voice say, and as she peeked around the corner, and saw two strange men in white uniforms in the living room with Nico. Ever since her mother had died last month, she'd been living with her cousin Nico when strange things happened, Nico being in another room at one moment, before suddenly appearing in the one she was in, or having trouble with electronics suddenly short-circuiting. One time he had even managed to make what he was writing play out with the shadows!  
  
As for the man who spoke, he had white hair, a cape, and blue gems on his shoulders. He also had pretty diamond earrings and blue lines on his uniform as well as white gloves. His shirt was unbuttoned, however, causing Megumi to wonder if he was a slob. His eyes reminded Megumi of her mother's- cold and gray. As for the other man in the room, he was blond with his wavy hair in a ponytail and his uniform looking pristine with its green trim that matched the man's eyes, and he looked like a woman to Megumi.  
  
"Nephrite," said the white-haired man.  
  
"My name is Nico Asakura," Nico then said with gritted teeth.  
  
"Sorry,  _Nico,_ " the man then said again while his companion remained silent for the moment, "You are one of us, Nico. You were killed in a past life, to protect someone you loved dearly. Your sacrifice was due to three monsters called Youma, one of them having poisonous thorns. You've most likely been experiencing memories of the past, powers awakening you have no idea how to control, we can help you with that."  
  
"I don't need your help, especially not from him!" Nico said, pointing at the blond man who looked on in guilt.  
  
"Nico, please..." the white-haired man then said with a sigh, "You're being childish and our King needs you, needs all of us."  
  
"And what about my cousin, Megumi? I can't just up and leave her alone, I'm all she has left!" Nico said, causing the blond man to speak up.  
  
"So, that's who our little spy is..." he said, causing Megumi to flinch as she realized she was spotted, shyly, she held her doll close, as Nico got up and went over to her once Megumi stood in the doorway.  
  
"Megumi, what are you doing up?" Nico said, only for the little girl to hug him tightly, "The nightmare again?"  
  
Megumi nodded, causing both strangers to look at each other in confusion for the moment until the man with white hair to stand up and walk over to Nico. Megumi flinched under his gaze, holding her cousin as best as she could before the man spoke up and held out her doll.  
  
"You dropped this," he said plainly, causing Megumi to reach out and grab Kiko's paw in silence as she tried to look away from the man.  
  
"Kunzite, I think you're scaring the poor dear," the blond then said, before walking over and smiling at little Megumi, "Now then, sweetie, why don't you tell Zoisite about your pretty little doll?"  
  
"His name's Kiko..." Megumi said quietly as she hugged her cousin for protection.  
  
"Aww, that's an adorable name!" Zoisite then said as Nico set Megumi down on the couch, "Do you think you can tell me about him?"  
  
"Well... Kiko is a denizen of Hybridia and protects it with his mischief," Megumi said, "He's brave and a hero and does what he thinks is right no matter what. He's also friends with a princess in his world."  
  
"A red-headed princess?" Zoisite said, causing Megumi to nod, "How would you like to meet a real princess, Megumi?"  
  
"L-Like Princess Serenity?" Megumi asked in surprise, though a part of her had doubts about how the meeting might go.  
  
"Exactly Princess Serenity," Zoisite said, "Though, if your cousin doesn't want to be part of the Four God Generals again, then I guess you'll never get to meet her..."  
  
"Curse you Zoisite..." Nico then said, "Fine, I'll join you, but only as long as someone's around to watch Megumi when I'm extra busy, and I want time to work on my writing as well... I am still a novelist after all."  
  
"That sounds like a fair trade," Kunzite then said as he signaled that it was time to go, "We'll make arrangements to move your belongings to a new location near the castle tomorrow morning, goodnight Nico."  
  
And so they left, with Megumi hugging her doll as she fell asleep on the couch.  
  
Over the next few days, Megumi found herself visiting the palace with Nico, and also meeting Sailor Jupiter, the tall woman showing Megumi the palace garden where the princess liked to play sometimes. It was there, that Megumi wouldn't get in the way of her cousin's new job, and spent her time playing with her doll Kiko. She had fun at first but soon got lonely as she realized she left her friends behind.  
  
It was one day, however, that during her usual playtime, that the princess came to the gardens. Megumi was playing with her doll, making sure that the doll wasn't damaged in anyway as she pretended to have tea with the doll.  
  
"I've never seen you around before," a voice then said behind her, causing Megumi to jump and grab her doll to hold it close.  
  
"Um... s-sorry..." Megumi said quietly, before looking into the eyes of a pink haired and red-eyed girl about her age, with a few other girls as well, each having eyes that matched their hair in pink, green, blue and red. There was also another girl with black hair and purple eyes who was a little taller than the rest, probably because she was older.  
  
"What are you apologizing for?" the girl with red eyes and pink hair then said in confusion, "I was only wondering if you were new here."  
  
"I-I've been here for a few days, I'm living with my cousin Nico... he has a job here at the palace as a god-general," Megumi said as she hugged her doll tightly.  
  
"You mean Nephrite?" the girl then said as the other girls seemed surprised, "I heard he had a cousin about my age, but I didn't think it'd be you."  
  
"Um... s-sorry, Princess." Megumi then said, recognizing the girl from the TV, "I'll um... f-find someplace else to play if I'm in your way."  
  
"What, don't do that!" said the girl with red hair, "We want to get to know you better! What's your name?"  
  
"Megumi Asakura," the shy girl then said, "And this is my doll, Kiko."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Megumi!" The redheaded girl then said as she held her hand out, "I'm Shizuka, and besides the princess, are my sisters An- the pink one, Kasumi- the blue one, and Hanako, the green one."  
  
"I'm Hotaru," said the girl in purple with a smile.  
  
"Hi," said An.  
  
"Hello," said Hanako.  
  
"Nice to meet ya!" said Kasumi.  
  
Megumi simply smiled behind her doll, before shaking Shizuka's hand. It was then, that the other red-head gained a devilish smile as she spoke again.  
  
"By the way, we were just about to play tag, want to be it?"  
  
"N-Not really..." Megumi said, letting go of Shizuka's hand.  
  
"Well, it's too late, you're already it!" Shizuka said as she started running, Megumi running after the girls as they scattered around the garden to play.  
  
That was the day, that Megumi made her first friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we meet Megumi, the main character of this story. Sure, Chibi-usa's the main sailor for this fic, but I wanted to write a story mostly from the point of view of the friend of the sailor senshi. 
> 
> Also, for those wondering, Chibi-usa's friends are the Civilian names I gave the Sailor Quartet:
> 
> Shizuka=Vesta  
> Hanako= Juno  
> An= Ceres  
> Kasumi= Pallas.


	2. Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megumi, now 16, saves her friend from danger, but tragedy lies just around the corner...

Megumi Asakura was walking home after school, the sixteen-year-old girl humming to herself as she listened to her favorite song- a tune about never giving up and using the power of love to achieve one's dreams. As she started dancing a little down the sidewalk though, she stopped as she saw the Shining Galactica Senshi Academy. She recalled that the past couple of years had a number of senshi awaken on earth, whether they were reincarnated during the Sailor Wars from ancient times, or something else, Megumi didn't know, but whatever the case, it was decided that a school be created for the new senshi of various planets beyond the Milkyway Galaxy, and train them in their new powers.  
  
However, only Princess Serenity and her team were allowed to fight off school grounds, with other students confined to the school itself. Megumi herself had always wanted to help her friend, the princess, but when she went in on her highness's recommendation to try out, it was revealed very quickly that Megumi did not have what was required to be a senshi. Instead of a Sailor Crystal inside of Megumi, her own was a regular Star Seed when it showed up on the Crystal Scanner used by the school's headmistress, Luna, and much to her disappointment, Megumi was told she'd never be a senshi.  
  
This was in spite of the strange powers she had experienced, from accidentally burning a homework assignment, to levitating over her bed when she was eleven. While she hadn't really used her powers that often, she had told her friends about them, which led to the interview in the first place.  
  
Of course, when Nico found out, he did offer to help train her abilities, which she happily accepted as an after-school course.  
  
Today though, was a rare day off as Nico had a date with his girlfriend, Naru, and so Megumi decided to go meet up with Serenity, Hotaru, An, Shizuka, Hanako and Kasumi at the Sweet Dreams Cafe. They were good friends to Megumi, ever since she first met them years ago, and while everyone knew that the princess was a senshi, no one but Megumi knew the identities of Sailors Saturn, Pallas, Ceres, Vesta, and Juno, either. However, she still held close to her heart the wish to help her friends in whatever way she could, and while she was just a sorceress in training, Megumi was still a civilian and so couldn't really help as she'd been told before.  
  
"Still," Megumi said as she put her hand over her heart, "I wish I could help the senshi..."  
  
"My, my..." a voice then said, filling Megumi with dread as she turned to see the owner was a masculine looking monster wearing a tuxedo and butterfly wings, "What a strong wish... how about I take it!?"  
  
"N-No!" Megumi said before she attempted to run, only for the monster pin her to the Academy's fence, shocking her as the security system activated.  
  
"There we go, this should help me evolve!" the monster, a wish gone wrong, then said with a smile as it prepared to reach it's hand inside Megumi's chest to steal her wish's crystalline form.  
  
"Stop right there!" a new voice said, distracting the monster long enough for Megumi to kick the hand away and run behind the newcomer- a girl in a pink and white sailor uniform, pink boots that went up to her knees, a red ribbon on her chest held in place with a heart-shaped locket and finally a gold tiara on her head with a red gemstone. Her hair was pink with red gems on her twin buns, complete with white decorations on them to make it look like she had rabbit ears on her head.  
  
This, was Lady Serenity, also known as Sailor Neo Moon.  
  
"Megumi, are you alright?" said Sailor Neo Moon.  
  
"I'm fine now that you're here," Megumi said with relief in her voice.  
  
"Good, now run for cover, I'll take it from here!" Sailor Neo Moon said as the monster spread his wings and took to the air. Megumi however, was about to run when she noticed that something wasn't right.  
  
Specifically the absences of a certain quartet of senshi. Without even thinking twice, she then turned around to see something start to emerge from the ground beneath the princess. Megumi didn't even realize what she was doing before she started running back to the scene of the battle, and shouted.  
  
"Rini, look out!" she called, before tackling the princess to the ground just as a spike erupted from the ground. Both girls then got up and looked at the spike before looking up at the monster in anger.  
  
"What's the big idea!?" Said the princess, while the monster of the day held his hands up defensively.  
  
"That's not mine, I swear!" he said, just before being struck by a flurry of pink hearts.  
  
"Surprise!" a new voice then said, just before the monster was impaled on the blade of Sailor Saturn's Glaive, the senshi in purple smiling at her friends as the monster was turned into dust.  
  
With the battle over, Megumi smiled for a moment, before earning a glare from Sailor Saturn as she turned back to her civilian form of Hotaru Tomoe, the girl wearing a black sweater and a dark gray skirt over black leggings and boots.  
  
"What were you thinking, putting yourself in danger like that!?" Hotaru then said, "I know you saved the princess, but you're still a civilian Megumi, you should have let another sailor scout handle it."  
  
"There were no sailor scouts around at the time," Megumi said while Serenity looked on in concern, "I don't know why the others weren't here, but I had to do something, or else Rini would have been impaled! And Senshi or not, I do know that impalement can kill a person!"  
  
"Um, Megumi..." Serenity then said as she too returned to her civilian form, the princess wearing a pink jacket over a white shirt and jeans as well as pink doc-martins.  
  
"Yes, Rini?" Megumi said before she saw the princess pointing to the ground. The moment she saw that her feet weren't touching the ground, however, caused the red-headed girl in the gray school uniform to let out a groan, before focusing and letting her feet to touch the ground. "Not again... man, you have no idea how hard it is to keep these powers in control sometimes..."  
  
"Have people been teasing you again at your school?" Serenity then asked, only for Megumi to give a nervous smile as she answered.  
  
"It's not so bad this time, I mean, I'm not being called a witch or anything this month..." she said, while Hotaru looked on in sympathy, and was about to speak when a new voice cut the air.  
  
"Don't worry civilians, Sailor Spectra is here!" said a girl with white hair and dressed in an almost pure white sailor uniform, save for the pastel splashes of color on the collar, ribbons, and skirt. Her crystal was a heart-shaped opal on her chest's bow, while her white choker was decorated by a tiny prism, with slightly larger prisms dangling from her ears. Her eyes were a cold gray, and her hair was white as snow and styled in two braided loops. Finally, in her golden tiara, there was an opal shimmering with different colors like her Sailor Crystal.  
  
This, was Sailor Spectra, as she had introduced herself, and as far as Megumi knew, she wasn't the nicest senshi at the Academy.  
  
"Hey, where's the monster?" Sailor Spectra then said, drawing Megumi from her thoughts, don't tell me you defeated it already!"  
  
"We did," Hotaru then said, "And thanks to Megumi, the princess managed to survive the battle as well."  
  
"I-It was nothing," Megumi said quietly, not really used to people that weren't her friends, "All I did was push her out of the way of a spike, I'm sure anyone would have done the same."  
  
"You... you touched the princess!?" Spectra then said, "How dare you do that!?"  
  
"I-If I didn't, Ri-- I mean Princess Serenity would have died!" Megumi said, cowering in fear of Spectra's wrath. "I... I was only trying to help!"  
  
"Civilians should run to safety, not participate in battles where they could get killed!" Spectra then said as she crossed her arms, "And how do we know you didn't summon the spike to fake the rescue and make yourself look like a hero?"  
  
"I-" Megumi said, only for Spectra to continue.  
  
"In fact, this is all very suspicious since you were the one to set off the security system on the fence, and yet you're fine and dandy, that's pretty suspicious in my book."  
  
"But, a monster pushed me against the fence...." Megumi said in a panic, "I-I really don't know how I'm ok!"  
  
"A likely story!" Spectra said, before being slapped across the face by Serenity.  
  
"Leave Megumi alone!" said the princess, "She saved my life, that's what matters, and she's not the type to just fake her way to being a hero!"  
  
"She could be possessed by a Wish Monster and not know it! We need to purify her and make sure you don't get hurt, Princess!" Spectra said, earning shocked looks from all three girls, before looking at them in confusion.  
  
"What is wrong with you!?" Hotaru then asked, "You act like she's a monster when all she did was save the princess's life. What's next, you want us to destroy our best friend?"  
  
"What? N-No..." Spectra said, realizing she made a mistake, "S-Sorry Princess, I'll... I'll be going now..."  
  
"Please do," Serenity then said, watching as the senshi left and re-entered Academy grounds, once she was gone though, she let out a frustrated groan and looked to Megumi. "Are you alright, Megumi?"  
  
"I'm fine," Megumi said with a small smile, "Thank you for defending me, Rini."  
  
"Not a problem," Serenity then said with a smile, "We're friends, aren't we? And friends stick up for each other, no matter what."  
  
"Yeah," Megumi said with a smile, before her stomach growled, "C'mon, let's call the others and go out for parfaits, there's this new chocolate one I want to try at Sweet Dreams!"  
  
"Sounds like a plan!~" Serenity said before looking to Hotaru, "You want to come along?"  
  
"Of course!" Hotaru said with a smile, "Though, after parfaits, I got to go home and start packing... I'll be leaving for my station soon, remember?"  
  
"Oh yeah..." both Serenity and Megumi then said with a sigh, both girls remembering that now that Sailor Saturn was old enough, she would be moving away from Crystal Tokyo to head to Saturn's Colony and defend it from monsters. While the Inner Senshi of Venus, Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter got to stay on Earth, the outer senshi of Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn had to guard the colonies started near their respective planets. As for Pluto, Megumi didn't really know what she did, but according to Serenity, her job was very important, and top secret, even to Megumi. The red-head didn't mind though, as she understood that people had secrets for a reason, and wasn't really the type to go dive into other people's business. After all, she had to keep her powers a secret from everyone at school, and unfortunately...   
  
Megumi still got caught when she couldn't control her abilities and was so called a witch by her classmates most of the time, and any day where she was ignored by her classmates was a better day than most. The fact that this whole month so far, no one had called her a witch or monster was one that cheered Megumi up. However, she couldn't help but feel that something was going to happen soon that would break her heart.  
  


(....O....)  


Later at the Sweet Dreams Cafe, Serenity, Hotaru and Megumi were giggling as they headed towards the door, all three of them were excited for the sweets, however, when Serenity checked her communicator, she noticed that the Sailor Quartet hadn't even answered her texts. Megumi simply did her best to comfort her friend before a voice got her attention.  
  
"Hey, Megumi!" said her cousin Nico, having chosen the locale for his date- a reddish-orange haired girl with blue eyes named Naru. She wore a yellow sweater over a white shirt and green skirt with green boots, and as she waved at Megumi, smiled as she looked back at Nico. Nico of course, was out of uniform, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans with black shoes. The two were sharing a chocolate parfait with strawberries and heart-shaped brownies on top, and judging by how they were enjoying it, it was most likely delicious.  
  
"Hey Nico," Megumi then said with a smile, "Sorry to interrupt your date with Naru."  
  
"Oh, it's fine!" Naru said with a smile, "You're not interrupting anything, how was your day?"  
  
"Oh, it was fine, except for the monster attack," Megumi said, causing Naru and Nico to look worried.  
  
"Are you alright?" Nico then asked.  
  
"I'm fine, don't worry!" Megumi said, "A little staticky from the fence I got pinned against, but overall I'm fine. Serenity saved me."  
  
"Yeah," Serenity then said as she waved to the man that happened to be one of her father's bodyguards, "But during the fight, I almost got impaled by a spike, and probably would have if Megumi hadn't pushed me out of the way."  
  
"Megumi did what!?" both Naru and Nico then said, with the latter becoming even more worried, "Where were your bodyguards, princess?"  
  
"I don't know..." Serenity then said, "They haven't answered my text yet, and I can't seem to get ahold of any of them either."  
  
"That's not good..." Nico said as he went into "Nephrite Mode" as Megumi called it, "I'll call in the other God-Generals and start a search party and--"  
  
It was then, that four ambulances went by, someone chasing after them as they delivered the worst news that anyone could learn that day.  
  
"Someone found four bodies in an alleyway," they said, "It... it looked like the Sailor Quartet, impaled on spikes!"  
  
And so, Megumi, Hotaru, and Serenity lost four friends they held dear, a tragedy they would never forget for as long as they lived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm using the Dub name for Chibi-usa, Rini in this fic. Why? Because 1) I grew up with the dub, and 2) I thought Rini would be a good nickname a kid would have given someone named Serenity.
> 
> Also, as to why I killed off the Sailor Quartet... well, I honestly couldn't think of anything to do with them, and I needed a tragedy to drive the plot, so they seemed perfect.
> 
> Also, I'm a Naru/Nephrite shipper and proud of it.


	3. Funeral for Our Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megumi catches a cold and has to stay home instead of going to her friends' funeral. However, at the funeral itself, it seems something unexpected occurs...

"Now Megumi," said Nico as he sat on his cousin's bed, "I've already called up the school to tell them your sick with a cold, and since I can't let you spread it to the princess or anyone else, you'll need to stay home, ok?"  
  
"Ok, Nico," Megumi said with a yawn as she laid in bed, her body running a fever as looked at the TV.  
  
"Good," Nico said with a small smile, "Now, I'm off to the funeral today, I'll leave Leo here to guard you and the apartment while I'm away, and if there's an emergency, you text me, ok?"  
  
"Ok Nico," Megumi said again, remembering that Leo was the familiar her cousin tended to summon as a guard while he was away. She didn't really know how he managed to summon the spirit of a constellation, but he did, and so far no one was stupid enough to try and rob the apartment where a white lion was supposedly living. In fact, as she recalled the last time she was sick, the lion out of boredom simply lounged on the couch for a while, before sitting at the door and waiting for someone to come in, if it was Nico, it would vanish right in front of him, but if it was someone else...  
  
Megumi shuddered, not wanting to think about that, in all honesty.  
  
As she watched her cousin leave her room, the red-head then turned on the Holo-Vision and watched as a familiar bunneleon ran from a wolf. In truth, her doll was based on a cartoon character she loved growing up, which her dad would watch with her before he disappeared. He had made it for Megumi before he left for work one day, saying that the doll would protect her from evil.  
  
So far, the doll had always been able to cheer her up during her saddest moments, even if it did fail to keep the nightmares away.  
  
As Megumi watched the cartoons, her eyes grew heavy as she thought about the nightmares. How in them she was some sort of evil queen wanting to steal energy to summon forth a monster, and even kidnapped her best friend's dad, King Endymion, and brainwashed him into her servant. She would always watch as eventually, Rini's mother, Neo Queen Serenity would arrive alone as Sailor Moon, before becoming a princess and defeat her, again and again.  
  
And it always got worse, whenever she fell ill.  
  
As Megumi fell asleep though, in hopes of a good dream for once, she failed to notice that something strange was happening with her Holographic Projector as Kiko vanished from sight much to the confusion of the wolf as it called out for Kiko and wondering where he went during their usual routine.  
  
Then, a glowing paw shot out of the projector, followed by a body of a white, rabbit-like creature with a lion's mane and a long tail. As he got stuck though, his black eyes closed as he tried to get itself unstuck, before the yellow star around his left eye flashed for a bit, causing him to propel himself out of the projector lens and rocket into the ceiling. Thankfully, he was only flattened but as he was a living cartoon in the real world, it seemed that the laws of his world still applied to him for the moment.  
  
"Ow..." said the creature, before falling to the floor with a thud. When he got up, however, he stood on his hind-legs and blinked before he saw Megumi still asleep.  
  
 _What a heavy sleeper..._  he thought to himself, before hopping onto her bed to check on her. Her body was very warm, as he noted, and her cold compress had slipped off her forehead. Reaching into his mane, he then pulled out a fresh compress decorated with stars and rabbit heads and placed it on her head before he turned around and smiled to himself.  
  
"Rest up, Megumi-chan," he said as he headed towards the window, "And get well soon, ok?"  
  
"Kay..." Megumi mumbled in her sleep, before turning on her side under the covers. When she didn't suddenly sit up and freak out though, Kiko said nothing and simply opened the window, only to stop when a voice hit his ears from the Holo-vision.  
  
"Gee, Kiko, where are ya going?" said the wolf who had chased him for years on end.  
  
"I'm gonna be a hero, just like I am back home, Waldo!" Kiko said with a grin before jumping out the window and running off into the rain.  
  
The Holo-vision projector turned itself off.  
  


(....O....)

  
"...And so it was that we came here to remember Shizuka, An, Hanako, and Kasumi Shirozaki, close friends and bodyguards that I loved dearly," Princess Serenity said as she stood infront of the four closed coffins containing her friends' remains. The funeral so far had been rather heartbreaking, with Mrs. Shirozaki in tears as she held her husband closely, having been filled in on what her little girls were doing a little too late. The Princess, however, continued to speak, seeing her own parents look on in worry about their daughter's own feelings, while the inner senshi were there in uniform to salute their fallen comrades, a black armband being worn to show their respect. The princess and her mother were wearing black versions of their gowns, with golden circles at the top of the princess's gown, while her mother wore her usual winged dress's style. Serenity's father simply wore a black tuxedo instead of his usual white one, while Mr. and Mrs. Shirozaki wore a black suit and a black dress with a veil respectively. As for the three god generals of Kunzite, Zoisite, and Nephrite, they wore black uniforms each with accents in blue, green, and orange respectively.  
  
As the princess continued to speak though, she could feel the tears well up in her eyes and fought to keep them from falling. SHe needed to put on a brave face for her friends, for her family and for herself. She couldn't break down here. Not when everyone looked to her to put on a brave face. As she heard the rumble from the storm outside, she thought nothing of it as she continued her eulogy, talking about the times she and her friends shared, both the good and the bad, and how that no matter what happened, they were there for her.  
  
She didn't notice until it was too late, that part of the ceiling in the church was heading towards her. As she braced for impact though, something strange happened, a white blur of light swooped in and struck the fragment of the ceiling with a guitar made of steel. Next thing the princess knew, she was safe and everyone was looking at the podium where a white, familiar looking creature stood, wearing a black and red cape as it grabbed the princess's hand and kissed it for a moment before it ran down to the back of the chapel at blinding speed.  
  
"After it!" Kunzite then said before he and the other God-Generals chased after the blur, followed by the senshi and the princess herself.  
  
Serenity then stopped at the exit, when she heard the sound of a roar and castanets in the air.  
  
"What was that?" she asked herself, before following after everyone outside the crypt, transforming into Sailor Neo Moon as well to help fight whatever monster might need to be battled today.  
  


(....O....)  


Nephrite couldn't believe what he was seeing.  
  
There, dancing on the graves outside the church was a monstrous man about eight feet tall in height, castanets fused to one hand and doing battle with what looked like-  
  
No.  
  
It couldn't be.  
  
"Kiko!?" Nephrite said upon seeing the cape-wearing bunneleon using a toy sword against the monster. As he watched the fight though, he soon noticed his comrades try and attack the creature with ice and razor-tipped rose petals, only for a shield of light to surround the monster as it spun around on the grave.  
  
"Nephrite, you know what that white thing is!?" Kunzite said, before remembering a certain doll, "What is your cousin's favorite cartoon character even doing here!?"  
  
"Uh, fighting!?" said Kiko before it rolled out of the way of a long, clawed hand, only to stab at the monster in return with his sword. When it did nothing though, Kiko then ran circles around the monster, before tripping over its cape and rolling into a headstone. "Ow..."  
  
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"  
  
"Mars Flame Sniper!"  
  
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"  
  
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"  
  
"Pink Sugar Heart attack!"  
  
As hearts in gold and pink, a flaming arrow, electrical oak leaves, and water came together to form a powerful blast of energy, it to was deflected by the shield around the monster, much to the senshi's confusion.  
  
"How can it deflect our attacks!?" asked Sailor Venus.  
  
"I think it has a shield generator on its body," Sailor Mercury then said as she pulled out her mini-computer and began typing away at it while trying to pinpoint the monster's weak spot. "According to my scans, it's coming from the hand with the castanets fused to it."  
  
The Castanets clicked again, and the shield surrounded both the monster and Kiko, as the beast laughed haughtily about his situation.  
  
"Foolish Senshi!" he said as he twirled around the graveyard, followed by Kiko, "As long as I'm in my shield, nothing can harm me, not even that stupid Bunneleon who dares to oppose me!"  
  
"My name's Kiko, Monsieur Danseur de Tombe!" Kiko said, before jumping up and stabbing the monster's side with his toy sword. "How dare you disrespect the dead like this!?"  
  
"Because I was summoned to, by the princess!" the monster then said, causing everyone to look at Serenity in shock.  
  
"Liar!" both Sailor Neo Moon and Kiko said at the same time, the latter brandishing his blue blade at the monster before charging again, this time cutting the beast on the cheek, and also revealing that the shield had a flaw to it- anything within the shield could still fight the monster. This also meant that until everyone else could find a way to get by the shield, Kiko was on his own.  
  
"I would never have someone dance on my friends' graves!" Sailor Neo Moon then said as she clutched her wand in anger, only for the monster to laugh again.  
  
"Oh, I wasn't talking about you," the monster then said, before pointing it's castanet fused hand at Sailor Neo Moon, "However, there's another princess on your planet that is glad your dear friends are gone, not sure of her name though, but she'll be gunning for you next, Sailor Neo Moon!"  
  
That was when Kiko struck again, jumping onto the monster's arm and whacking his face with his tail, sending the beast back a little as it's hand clacked again.  
  
"C'mon little guy! Kick his ass!" Sailor Jupiter then said, while Kiko nodded and smacked the monster in the face again and again with his tail, the puff of fur at the end seemed to be much denser than expected with the bruises it left behind. Then, when the monster grabbed Kiko with his claw, the little Bunneleon was squeezed as it struggled to break free.  
  
"Now I got you, little pest!" the grave dancer then said, tapping his foot with annoyance as he raised Kiko into the air, only to be smacked in the head again with that damn tail. Though, when he reached with his other hand to try and clamp down the offending appendage, he found that his hand was missing, and there was a smirk on Kiko's face.  
  
"Non, Monsieur," Kiko then said, "It is they, who have you!"  
  
"What!?" the monster then said, only to look to his left and see the angry group of warriors preparing to attack, "Uh oh."  
  
The monster then dropped Kiko and prepared to run as the grave dancer heard the attacks being called out.  
  
"Starlight Attack!"  
  
"Zoi!"  
  
"Freeze!"  
  
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"  
  
"Mars Flame Sniper!"  
  
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"  
  
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"  
  
"Pink Sugar Heart attack!"  
  
As the attacks merged together, the monster was destroyed to those gathered, while Kiko ran up to the group and gave a bow to the warriors gathered, before giving Nephrite a wink and running off to parts unknown.  
  
"Let's go after it!" Kunzite then said, only to be stopped by Sailor Venus.  
  
"Why?" she asked, "Kiko helped us out, didn't he?"  
  
"Yeah!" Sailor Jupiter said, "I mean, sure it's a cartoon character come to life somehow, but should we really try and capture it?"  
  
"Yes!" Kunzite then said, "That... thing, could be a Desiren or some other type of monster trying to infiltrate the palace with its cuteness!?"  
  
"Maybe so, but it saved the Princess's life, that has to count for something," Venus said, while Nephrite fiddled with his phone nearby.  
  
"It's probably part of its nefarious plot!" Kunzite said while Zoisite and the other three senshi sighed as the two began to argue.  
  
"It's just not the same since they broke up," Jupiter said before looking at Zoisite, "Is he always like that with you?"  
  
"Eh, you just got to figure out how to calm him down when he gets like this," Zoisite said, "Though, as his boyfriend, I assume that he hasn't really been the same since he reawakened his memories, what with me dying and all."  
  
"Oh right..." the other senshi said, before Jupiter coughed a bit, and spoke to Nephrite. "So, what are you doing, anyway, Nico?"  
  
"Texting Megumi to see if she knows anything," Nephrite then said as he finished his text and sent it.  
  
"And?" Jupiter then asked while Nephrite put his phone away for the moment.  
  
"And she's sick, so I'm hoping she didn't learn to summon things while she's supposed to be resting!" Nephrite then said as he headed back to the church, followed by Sailor Jupiter.  
  
"Well, I hope things are okay with her," Jupiter then said, "I mean, she's a good kid, but her cold couldn't affect her abilities, right?"  
  
"I can only hope it doesn't," Nephrite said with a sigh.  
  


(....O....)  


_It was dark, and the wicked queen was armored and ready for battle. Her four generals were at her side, laying siege to the kingdom of the moon. Though, when her beloved was killed to defend the princess she loved, the queen couldn't help but feel her heart start to break into hundreds of pieces.  
  
"No..." she said, tears welling up in her eyes as she failed to notice someone sneaking up behind her, only to gasp as she felt the sword go through her spine and stomach.   
_  
Megumi woke up from her dream with a small gasp, before clutching her stomach as she sat up. She hated her nightmares of the evil queen, especially the one where she kept dying. Though, as she felt something fall into her lap, she saw the cold compress decorated with stars and rabbit heads.  
  
"Where did this come from?" she said, before seeing the plain green compress she was using before she fell asleep lying next to her. She heard her phone buzz then, and reaching for it saw a text from her cousin, Nico.  
  
 _"Do you know anything about this?"_ it read, followed by a picture. As she clicked on the attachment to view it though, her eyes widened as she saw the familiar white bunneleon with a golden mane, a yellow star over its left eye, a blue teardrop under its right, a red nose and of course black eyes. The creature was fighting some sort of monster in the picture, and all Megumi could say about the picture was three words.  
  
"What the fuck?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we meet the REAL Kiko the Bunneleon, as well as the first Beast of Tragedy. The B.o.T. will get a proper name next chapter, but for now, the Grave Dancer will remain nameless for the moment. 
> 
> Also, Kiko may or may not have been wearing a Prince Endymion cosplay for his battle scene... That's up for the reader to decide though.
> 
> As for those nightmares Megumi has... well, that's her past life's memories as Beryl. She doesn't know she's Beryl, yet, but Nico/Nephrite may know who she is from them and is trying to protect her by not saying anything about it to her. But yeah, the whole cousin to Beryl's reincarnation thing can really be a downer sometimes for a guy that was formerly brainwashed by her, but he puts her as his cousin first and foremost, and knows that she can be a good person.
> 
> And without Mettalia around, hopefully, Megumi will stay a good girl in this life.


	4. Bring in the Clowns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megumi heads to school when something odd happens. Meanwhile, the Hikawa Shrine is attacked by a familiar monster...

  
It had been a couple of days since the funeral, and the city of Crystal Tokyo was still in mourning. However, classes still went on, and Megumi was now on her way after finally being cleared for good health by Nico. Of course, as Nico had extra work thanks to the deaths of the Sailor Quartet, he was now on high alert with the other two God-Generals, which meant a lot of stress when it came to his writing as Masato Sanjoin, the author of the  _Swan Lake_  series of Light Novels, he even did his own artwork for the characters. Sure, he wasn't as good as a mangaka, but he was talented in some respects.

Megumi however, was starting to feel like one of the characters in his novels, specifically Molly, who was the best friend of the lead character, who was targetted by monsters on a seemingly daily basis, and if Molly wasn't the target, then she'd at least be drawn into the crossfire by enemy monsters. Then again, her best friend Odette was the main character in the novels, and similar to how Princess Serenity used to be as a child- a crybaby at times, but knew what to do when the going got tough- and that was to stand and fight to protect those she cared about.

In all honesty, Megumi wanted to be more like Odette, rather than Molly, and not have her heart broken by the death of a villainous love interest's death.

"Hey, Asakura," said a voice behind her, causing the red-head to turn and see a boy with short, spiked blue hair, deep blue eyes and a black school uniform, Megumi herself wearing a blue skirt, white shirt with a blue and red sailor collar, and a blue ribbon on her chest. The boy was handsome and Megumi honestly blushed as she turned away and looked at the ground for the moment.

"Oh, hello Suzaku," Megumi said quietly, "A-Anything I can help you with?"

Suzaku Kurogane, Megumi's crush in her school and the most popular student at Juuban Highschool. The boy had moved in from Shinjuku and while he was used to moving around quite often, his parents seemed to want to settle down in Juuban for a while. Of course, that's all Megumi actually knew about Suzaku, as they rarely talked, and when they did, he usually insulted her like everyone else.

"Just watch where you step," he said, pointing to a puddle on the sidewalk, "Don't want you getting sick again, or anything."

"Oh, um... thank you," Megumi said as she stepped around the puddle, "Um... yesterday was a pretty bad storm, right?"

"Yeah." Suzaku said, "Maybe Sailor Jupiter had a breakup or something."

"That's... not a good joke," Megumi said, unaware that she was starting to hover off the ground, only for Suzaku to whistle and get her attention. Upon looking down at the ground, she let out a yelp, before crashing onto the ground and landing on her rear. "Not again..."

"So... you can fly?" Suzaku said as he helped her up, much to Megumi's confusion as he usually called her a witch or a freak like anyone else whenever her powers went off like that.

"Um... yeah, I guess..." Megumi said quietly as she looked away in embarrassment, while also waiting for the insults to come flying her way.

"That's... actually kind of cool." Suzaku then said, much to Megumi's surprise.

"You're... not calling me a witch or anything like usual?" Megumi then said, causing Suzaku to flinch.

"It's... I just got worried about you when you got sick the other day, alright?" Suzaku then said, "You're a good girl, even if you have to put up with all the shit we put you through, if I were in your position, I'd blast anyone who insulted you."

"I'd rather not," Megumi said as she walked along with Suzaku following her, "It wouldn't be right, you know?"

"Good point," Suzaku said with a small laugh, "You know, you're not so bad, Asakura... I'm honestly not sure why I said those things to you in the first place."

"Probably to fit in with everyone else?" Megumi suggested, causing Suzaku to shrug as they walked along to the school gates in silence. However, once they arrived at Juuban High, the pair were met with a burly looking boy with chains on his jacket, a tattered cap, and messy, brown hair. This, Megumi knew was the head delinquent of the school, Goku Umino. While the Umino family were normally respected scientists, Goku was a black sheep in the sense that his grades were poor, he was built like a gorilla, and his demeanor was the rudest of all the students who were cruel to Megumi.

"Oh no," Megumi then said, as she heard the chains on Umino's jacket rattle as he stepped towards her and Suzaku, the delinquent's jacket open to show the bandages he wore with pride on his stomach, as well as a grey t-shirt.

"So, the Witch lives for another day," Umino then said with a sneer, "And what are you doing with Suzaku, huh? Cast a spell on him or something?"

"N-No..." Megumi said, trying to move around Umino only for the bully to block her path.

"Sorry, Witch," Umino then said, "But only normal people like Suzaku can pass!"

"Please, Umino, let me by, I just got over a cold and I don't want to be late!" Megumi pleaded, only for Umino to shake his head no.

"Make me, Witch!" Umino said, but Megumi was afraid, and unsure what to do. If she used her powers, that would just cement her status as a witch to everyone even further. If she didn't she'd be late and get into trouble with the teachers.

It was then, that a flock of brown doves suddenly attacked Umino, sending the bully hurrying away to escape the torment.

"That... wasn't me," Megumi said when Suzaku threw her a questioning look. As he seemed to believe her, he simply nodded and headed through the school gates with Megumi.

(....O....)  


Outside the school gate, a man with mint-green hair, a white suit, and a bird-like mask smiled to himself as he watched the delinquent run away. Personally, he hated to see a lady cry, and while he didn't know the details of this world, he at least knew that a woman in trouble needed to be rescued.

Especially if they were cute like that redhead he'd sent his precious birds in to protect.

"Ah, you're back!" he said once he heard the bell ring and he walked on his merry way, his birds landing on his shoulder as he hummed a tune to himself, "So, have fun my darlings? Why of course you did, I promised it to you, didn't I?"

The birds cooed and nuzzled against their master's cheeks, their feathers tickling him as he laughed.

(....O....)  


At the Hikawa Shrine, a dark wind blew across the grounds, gaining Rei Hino's attention as the high priestess meditated infront of the flames.

"What is this?" she said to herself as she sensed great evil and headed out of the chamber and walked outside. There, she saw a familiar monster with a clawed hand and castanets fused to the other. This time though, he wore a black suit as he danced in front of her, using bladed feet to try and chop down a tree near the shrine.

"What. The. Hell?" Rei then asked, catching the attention of the monster who flinched at the sight of her.

"Oh, hello priestess," he said cordially with a bow, unaware that she was one of the sailor scouts from before as he introduced himself, "I am Horatio Tipperforth, Tragic Beast of Desecrated Graves, and who is the lovely young lady I'm speaking with?"

"Let me give you a hint," Rei Hino said, before invoking the power of Mars that coursed through her body, "Mars Crystal Power, Make up!"

In a flash of flame, the priestess turned into Sailor Mars, the woman in red, white and purple glaring at the monster as Horatio flinched in recognition.

"Y-You're the one who shoots those blasted flaming arrows!" he said, before he started to flee, "Dash it all, I'm not going to fight a helpful fool with flaming arrows!"

"Helpful fool?" Sailor Mars said in confusion before the monster escaped. "Okay, something weird is going on here, I better call a meeting."

(....O....)

  
Later that day, six Sailor Senshi had arrived in the meeting hall in the palace, with Neo-Queen Serenity sitting on her throne in concern.

"Rei," said the queen while her daughter looked on in concern, "Why did you call this meeting?"

"Before I begin, might I ask a question, Usagi?" Rei then said, calling her queen by her true name as a sign of friendship.

"What is it?" Usagi then asked, causing Rei to clear her throat before pointing at the senshi in white and pastels.

"Why is Sailor Spectra here? Shouldn't she be at the academy?"

"That was my idea," said Sailor Venus, also known as Minako Aino then said with a smile, "Since she'll be graduating soon anyway, and seeing as I'm her mentor, I figured that showing her what a meeting is like would be useful for her in the future!"

"Fair enough," Rei said, "I guess the more senshi that know about what's going on the better."

"So, what is going on, Sailor Mars?" said the white-haired Sailor Spectra as she crossed her arms and seemed to glare at the world.

"There was a monster at Hikawa Shrine," Mars then said as her friends gasped at the thought, "And what's more... it's the same one that attacked the funeral the other day."

"What!?" Sailor Jupiter, also known as Makoto Kino then said in disbelief, "There's no way it could be the same one, I thought we got rid of the thing back at the graveyard."

"Well, I don't know how, but it's somehow reformed." Mars then said, only for the princess to speak up.

"What if it's a new type of monster?" she said, only for her mother to speak up in disbelief.

"A new type already?" Usagi then said in worry, "But sweetie, you already have enough on your plate with the Desirens, and normally monster types show up one at a time, for this to happen now it's... it's unthinkable!"

"I know, mother," Serenity then said as she frowned in thought, "But as Sailor Mercury might say, it's the only lead we have, right?"

Sailor Mercury, the blue-haired Ami Mizuno then nodded in agreement, before she spoke up. "The Princess is right, Usagi, this may mean we have two threats to deal with at the same time."

"I see," Usagi then said, "But how did this creature even reform?"

"Well, the monster called himself a tragic beast," Mars then said as she started pacing around the room, "Specifically... Horatio Tipperforth, the Tragic Beast of Desecrated Graves."

The room fell silent then, the senshi's thoughts whirling with this information before someone started to laugh. As the group stared at Sailor Spectra, the young woman couldn't help but smile as she spoke.

"I'm sorry, Horatio Tipperforth?" she said in disbelief, "That has to be the silliest thing to name a monster, Sailor Mars."

"I wasn't the one who named it!" Mars snapped, causing Spectra to stand at attention before speaking again.

"Sorry, ma'am!" Spectra said, "I forgot this was a serious matter, please forgive me."

"I think you should leave the room until you get this out of your system," Venus then said, while Sailor Jupiter nodded.

"Yes, ma'am," Spectra said with a salute, before leaving the room. Once she was gone, the blonde with the red ribbon in her hair sighed.

"Sorry about her," Venus then said, "I've been trying to get her to loosen up a bit, and when she finally does it, it's like this."

"It's alright, Venus," Usagi then said, "She's just trying to be a good senshi, I think."

"Yeah... I hope so." Venus then said, remembering the days she had fought monsters on her own, and knew that before she came to the Academy, Spectra had fought monsters on her own in America as well.

"Hey Mars," Jupiter then said, "Did the monster say anything else besides his name?"

"Just that he called me a Helpful fool, and seemed to be afraid of arrows," Mars said as she crossed her arms, causing Serenity to flinch as she remembered that the Sailor Quartet had an arrow as their group attack, which led to a frightful conclusion as she spoke up.

"Do you think these things might have been involved in my friends' deaths?" she then said, causing silence to fall in the room once again. Mars hadn't considered that, but if that was the case, then it might mean something else was afoot. Especially since that same day, Serenity was saved from death by her best friend Megumi. Was it possible that these Tragic Beasts were targetting the princess as well? If so, then why and for what reason?

Whatever it was, the fact that they killed four senshi already was bad news, and for now, all they could do was try and find out more information, even if it meant hunting down and capturing a beast itself.

"We need to figure out our next course of action," Mercury then said, "I propose that we try and find a way to destroy these monsters before they hurt another person, or worse, try and kill again if they are involved with the deaths of the Sailor Quartet."

"Yeah," all present said at once with a nod, and so the debate and planning began.  


  
(....O....)  


Megumi set her pencil down as she finished her homework before she got up and was about to get ready for bed when her phone buzzed.

"Oh, a text." Megumi said before reading it aloud, "Sailor Senshi Meeting, will talk later- Rini." Sighing, she then set her phone down and sat down on her bed. "I wish I could help them," she then said to herself as she stared at the ceiling, "Especially with the Sailor Quartet, well, gone... I have a feeling they'll need it."

She sat up then, and shook her head, "No, they wouldn't want my help. I'm just a civilian after all, and my powers are hard to control too, so I'll probably end up doing more harm than good. I mean, sure, it felt good to save Rini's life, but she's my friend, I felt I needed to do something at the time..."

She reached over and hugged her Kiko doll then, the old toy her father made having gone through several repairs over the years to the point that the patches on it were a sign of how much Megumi cherished the doll, her first friend before she met Rini and the others. Sure, it was just a doll, but Megumi had plenty of memories attached to it, to the point where she used to wish he was real.

"Oh cheer up, Megumi!" she then heard Kiko say, "I can grant your wish if you'll let me!"

"What?" Megumi then said before looking around, and seeing at her window, coming into the room was Kiko, the same Kiko from the picture her cousin had sent her two days ago.

"Hi!" Kiko said with a smile, causing Megumi to panic a bit.

"K-Kiko!?" Megumi then said, "But... how!? How are you here, and how do you even know my name!?"

"I know your name because I always know my biggest fan!" Kiko said with a smile, "As for how I'm here, well... that's a little complicated and I had to use your holo-projector as a portal for my new mission! But, I need help, so I figured you'd want to assist me since it involves your friends!"

Megumi was silent for a moment. On one hand, she did want to help her friends, but on the other hand...

"NICO!" Megumi screamed, causing Kiko to gulp as he hopped onto her bed just as Megumi's cousin entered the room.

"Megumi, what's the matter!?" he said, his hands glowing with electricity as he worried for Megumi's safety. However, when he saw Kiko, he relaxed a bit and dispelled the arcs of energy around his hands, before pulling out his phone and sending a message to Kunzite along with a picture.

 _"Found Kiko."_

(....O....)  


Kunzite stood before Nephrite's couch, the white-haired man with cold grey eyes having his arms crossed as he stared at Megumi and the creature known as Kiko. He had come there with Zoisite, who was sitting next to Megumi and the thing on the couch when he got Nephrite's message. As he glanced at the bunneleon, as the creature was so called, Kunzite glared even harder at the two, not because he didn't trust Megumi not having a hand in Kiko's presence, but more because he just didn't believe that the creature was benevolent in its actions.

"So, we finally have you, creature." Kunzite then said as he pointed to Kiko with his gloved hand, causing Nephrite to roll his eyes as he scribbled something down in a sketchbook- most likely doing artwork for his light novels again.

"My name, is Kiko!" said the creature with a swish of his cape, "And you may have me, but you won't stop me from doing my job!"

"And what, pray tell,  _is_  your job?" Kunzite asked, only for Kiko to turn his head to the side and smirk.

"That's for me to tell the Queen of this world, and not you," Kiko then said before sticking its tongue out at Kunzite, and also reminding the man of his ex-girlfriend, Minako.

"I see," Kunzite then said, before turning to Zoisite, "Zoisite, Nephrite, I suggest we destroy this thing, in case it's an agent of Chaos."

"I am not!" Kiko shouted with a surprisingly deep roar, "I helped fight against that monster in the graveyard, remember?"

"I do, however it could have been a clever ploy to gain our trust!" Kunzite argued.

"Objection!" Kiko then said, while pointing dramatically at Kunzite, "I'd never work with anyone who disrespects the dead and also make people cry!"

"He's right," Nephrite then said as he continued to scribble and erase away at his sketchbook, "In the cartoons, Kiko was a champion of justice and a guardian of Hybridia... even if he was a mischievous little guy."

As Zoisite and Kunzite both stared at Nephrite though, the brunette simply shrugged and added, "What? I watched the series with Megumi on Holo-disk."

"See, he stands up for me!" Kiko then said proudly, only for the room to get colder as Kunzite summoned a ball of energy to his hand.

"Still, best not to take any chances." Kunzite said, "I say we destroy him, and remove one less threat from the world."

"No!" Megumi said, standing up and getting between Kunzite and Kiko.

"Megumi, get out of the way," Kunzite then said, his eyes becoming stern as he looked at the redhead's determined red eyes.

"No, Kunzite!" Megumi said, "Kiko is a good bunneleon! And I won't let you destroy him when he has information that could be shared with the Queen!"

As she spoke, something strange happened. As Kunzite watched, he saw a mark appear on Megumi's chest, instead of the usual place for an awakening senshi's mark to appear, which was the forehead. The mark, to Kunzite, looked like a heart that was made of fire. He was confused by what this meant, as did his fellow God Generals as both were staring at Megumi like she'd grown a second head.

It was then, that Zoisite spoke up.

"She has a point, Kunzite," said the most feminine of the three, "I say we hear him out."

"Yeah!" Kiko said, "However, I'll only talk on one condition though- I want to say what I need to in front of the queen and the Senshi I saw at the graveyard."

"And why should we listen to you?" Kunzite said in annoyance.

"I don't like repeating myself." Kiko said plainly, "Also, I want Megumi there too."

"What!? Why me?" Megumi said, only for Kiko to turn to her and smile.

"Because I can make it so you'll be able to help too!" Kiko then said.

"No deal." Kunzite then said as he crossed his arms, "Especially when it comes to letting a civilian get involved with a dangerous situation."

"Either Megumi comes, or I won't talk," Kiko said, glaring at Kunzite who glared right back in return.

"Boys, boys!" Zoisite then said, "Honestly, can't you two agree? Or do I need to broker a deal?"

"Fine!" Kunzite then said with a growl, "Megumi may come along, but only because we want information about what's going on, which you seem to have."

"Yes!" Kiko then said as it did a little fist-pump with his paw, only for his victory to become short-lived as Kunzite got in the last word.

"We'll be heading for the palace immediately," he said, "However, if it turns out that you don't know anything, Kiko, then I'll personally destroy you."

Kiko simply let out a squeak, before leaping into Megumi's arms and cuddling her for safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the first Beast of Tragedy finally gets a name- Horatio Tipperforth, the Desecrator of Graves. Why he's attacking Hikawa Shrine though?
> 
> He knows nothing of Shinto Religion and assumed that all places of worship must have a graveyard somewhere... so he's kind of a moron in that regard.
> 
> Why Saturn wasn't at the meeting- she's busy packing for the Saturn Colonies she'll soon be defending, and couldn't really make it.
> 
> Also, the plot arrives for Megumi, and she reasonably freaks out. But who is the masked man who sent attack birds after her bully? 
> 
> Find that out in Chapter 6.
> 
> Next Chapter? Megumi finally gets her wish granted... Though, not in a way she expects.


	5. The Scarlet Jester Awakens! The Magical Harlequin!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megumi gets her wish granted to help.

Kunzite, Zoisite, Nephrite, and Megumi walked into the meeting hall where the Senshi were having their meeting, the table the girls were seated at being round and with each seat associated with a planet or asteroid that each senshi represented. Though, while the seats of Earth, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, and Pluto were empty, the seats of the asteroids Vesta, Ceres, Pallas, and Juno were all cloaked in black cloth, to represent their senshi passing away. It was Megumi's first time in the chamber and as the senshi fell silent and stared at the god-generals and Megumi, the red-headed girl quickly hid behind Nephrite as Kunzite spoke up.  
  
"My queen," he said with a bow, "Sailor Senshi, we have captured one of the two creatures from the Graveyard incident."  
  
"I see," said Neo-Queen Serenity, a small smile on her lips as the tiny cage containing Kiko was wheeled inside the room by Zoisite, "And why did you decide to tell us now, during our meeting?"  
  
"Because..." Kunzite then said before blushing with embarrassment, "The creature, Kiko, would not cooperate unless he had a chance to speak with you and the senshi, as well as let Nephrite's cousin, Megumi come along as well."  
  
"Megumi?" said the princess, before looking past Nephrite and seeing her friend shyly wave.  
  
"H-Hi everyone," Megumi said quietly, "I... I honestly don't know why Kiko wanted me to come either."  
  
"Well, let's meet this Kiko and see what he has to say," the queen then said with a nod, allowing Zoisite to open the cage and let out its occupant. As Kiko left the cage though, he smiled and hopped onto the large table in the middle of the room, and gave a small swish of his cape as he kneeled before the white-haired queen with the crescent moon on her forehead and spoke.  
  
"Neo-Queen Serenity, I am Kiko of Hybridia, and I'm here to help you fight against the monsters plaguing your city," the bunneleon said with his eyes closed as he remained kneeling- or close as he could to kneeling with his hind legs.  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kiko," Neo-Queen Serenity then said, "Thank you for saving my daughter's life, little knight."  
  
"It was just me doing my duty, Your Majesty," Kiko said with a smile, "A hero has got to protect the innocent, right?"  
  
"Awww... how adorable~!" Sailor Venus then said, "I wonder where it got the cape though?"  
  
"Maybe it came with Kiko?" Sailor Mercury said, before scanning the creature with her mini-computer, "Doesn't seem to be a threat..."  
  
"I certainly don't sense any evil coming from it," said Sailor Mars as she crossed her arms, "Still, why did you bring Megumi here?"  
  
"Yeah, that is a good question..." Sailor Jupiter then said, before looking at the redhead hiding behind her cousin.  
  
"I want to grant Megumi's wish to help her friends!" Kiko then said, a proud smile on his face as he put his forepaws on his sides.  
  
Megumi blushed as everyone looked at her, ranging from looks of surprise, concerned gazes and from Venus, closed eyes as she spoke up.  
  
"According to Luna, however, Megumi can't become a Sailor Senshi, she doesn't even have a Sailor Crystal, just a plain ol' star seed."  
  
"I don't know what all that is, but she may not be able to be a Sailor Senshi," said Kiko, causing Megumi to flinch as she was reminded of her status as a civilian, "But... that doesn't mean she still can't help, right?"  
  
"What do you mean?" said Princess Serenity, "Is there a way for her to help out in battle?"  
  
"Yup!" Kiko said, before pulling out of his mane a small red wand topped with the head of a smiling jester, "She can use this to fight the Beasts of Tragedy that are causing trouble in your world!"  
  
"The Beasts of Tragedy?" asked Sailor Jupiter, "Is that like what attacked us at the graveyard?"  
  
"Exactly," Kiko said as he waved the wand around and spoke, "The Beasts of Tragedy are from my world, Hybridia, and they'd cause all sorts of trouble behind the scenes of that cartoon series I star in, ranging from attacking villages, dancing on graves, even killing people off. They'd do anything to create the despair they feed upon, but, we had a way to fight them off using the power of laughter!"  
  
"Laughter?" everyone in the room then said, causing Kiko to hold up a paw and slip the wand back into his mane of holding.  
  
"Allow me to demonstrate," Kiko said with a bow, before looking over at Kunzite, "Hey, Kunzie, mind helping me out here?"  
  
"Kunzie?" Kunzite said in confusion, while Zoisite snickered.  
  
"Kunzie? Now that's a cute nickname..." Zoisite then said with a smirk, "Come on, dear, why don't you help out the little guy?"  
  
"Because I just know it'll end badly for me," Kunzite said flatly, only to look back at the table and see that Kiko was missing, "what!? Where did he go!?"  
  
"Right here!" Kiko said from behind Kunzite, causing him to look and see the Bunneleon clinging to his shoulder, while Megumi and the Sailor Senshi began to giggle.  
  
"How did you do that?" Kunzite said, only for Kiko to vanish again and appear right beside the white-haired man.  
  
"Toon Teleportation," Kiko said, "Very handy ability!"  
  
"More like an annoying one," Kunzite said flatly, just before Kiko offered him what looked like a pie covered in whipped cream, "No thanks, I know where this is going."  
  
"Oh really?" Kiko said, before getting an evil look in his eye before chucking the pie. Kunzite, however, stepped to the side, causing the pie to instead land in the face of Nephrite, who was laughing until that moment. As all fell silent, however, Zoisite simply took a finger and wiped away part of the cream, before tasting it and giving a small hum.  
  
"Hmm, Banana with a hint of peach, rather tasty, in all honesty!" Zoisite then said with a smile, before Nephrite started laughing again.  
  
"I'll admit, this was kind of funny," he said then, while Megumi let out a giggle.  
  
Kunzite, however, wasn't so happy as he glared at the Bunneleon, before charging up a sphere of dark energy in his hand. Though he rarely used this power nowadays, Megumi had heard that Dark Energy manipulation was Kunzite's true specialty, alongside ice magic. Megumi was always afraid of Kunzite for that power of his, and to see it now, she was worried about Kiko. However, as Kunzite threw the bolt at Kiko, the Bunneleon dodged and in a single movement, pulled a car out of mane and hopped into it before driving around the meeting hall with Kunzite throwing bolt after bolt of dark energy at him.  
  
"Interesting," said Sailor Mercury as she gazed at her mini-computer's screen, "It seems that mane of his can store just about anything, much like a cartoon character pulling things out of nowhere. Despite defying physics, I find this very fascinating!"  
  
"Yeah, that's nice and all," said Kiko as he dodged an energy bolt in his car before driving onto the wall itself, "But can someone please stop him before he actually attempts to kill me! I'm a foreign diplomat from another world for crying out loud!"  
  
"Kunzite, cease this at once!" Neo-Queen Serenity then said, causing Kunzite to freeze in place just as he'd hit the maniacal laughter phase of his little bit of revenge.  
  
"Y-Yes, my queen." Kunzite then said sheepishly as he realized he started to get carried away.  
  
"Phew, thanks, Your Majesty!" Kiko said as he parked his car next to Megumi and got out of the little red Ferrari. Next, he pulled out the little red wand from before and got on his hind legs to kneel before Megumi.  
  
"Um... what are you doing, Kiko?" Megumi said, having by now moved out of her hiding place behind her cousin, "This... is kind of embarrassing."  
  
"I'm presenting your wand to you if you'll take it." Kiko said, "If you accept the power I'm offering you, then please, take the wand in hand, raise it up and say, Zani!"  
  
Megumi thought for a moment. On one hand, she could help her friends like she wished to, and use her powers for good. On the other hand, she'd put her life in danger just about all the time, and she wasn't sure she'd let her cousin, the man called Nephrite at the moment, worry about her safety like she tended to worry about him when he was on the job. Still, as she looked around the room, she saw everyone staring at her as if anticipating what she'd do. Some gazes were warning her not to do it, in case something backfired spectacularly, other gazes were concern about whether or not the offer was the right choice.  
  
Then, she saw Princess Serenity's face, a look of fear upon it as she remembered the death of her friends, as shown by the tears in her red eyes.  
  
Megumi didn't want to see her friend cry like that, ever again.  
  
Reaching for the wand, she then followed Kiko's instructions and raised it up.  
  
 _"Zani!"_  she said with a smile, and the wand flashed briefly for a moment. Then, a warm feeling flowed from Megumi's heart into her entire body as she rose into the air and was surrounded briefly by flames as her clothes changed into an orange leotard and tights. Then, flames streamed around Megumi's body, becoming new clothes as a mirror appeared in front of her, followed by ghostly hands appearing to paint her face white as a sheet, before adding a diamond on each cheek and her forehead as well as applying red lipstick. When it was over, she stood on the floor, her feet covered in red, pointed shoes, and her leotard covered by a red tailcoat with diamond shaped buttons, white cuffs with diamond-shaped cufflinks, and around her waist, a white sash printed with red diamonds. There was also a white scarf around her neck with red tips, and her head covered by a red jester's hood with two short tails. Finally, her wand had transformed into a saber hanging at her side, the pommel decorated by a blushing jester's head while the handguard was decorated by a single, red gem shaped like a diamond.  
  
"Wow..." she said as she took in her new costume with her red eyes, the newly awakened jester tapping her foot on the ground to test how comfortable the shoes actually were.  
  
"Megumi, you..." Princess Serenity then said, rising from her seat next to her mother's throne, only for a new voice to cut in and speak up.  
  
"An intruder!? Take this!" said Sailor Spectra as she entered the room,  _"Spectra Ring Flash!"  
_  
Coins then fired at Megumi, causing her to panic as she was suddenly pinned to the wall by opal rings, before Spectra suddenly appeared before her in a flash, and put a knife to Megumi's throat.  
  
"Spectra, stop that!" the princess then said, running towards the senshi in white and pastels as Spectra looked towards her. Megumi, in a panic, wished to be behind her cousin again, and in a blink was suddenly behind him while Spectra's eyes were off of her. She felt a little sick at her stomach then, but as she cowered behind her cousin, she at least felt safe with him between her and Spectra.  
  
Judging by the dark look in his eyes though, it was quite clear he didn't tolerate anyone holding a knife to his cousin's throat.  
  
"What the!? Where did she go!?" Spectra then said, seeing her rings empty of their captive. Though, upon looking around and seeing Megumi behind Nephrite, the pastel-clad senshi glared as she started to walk towards Nephrite with her own glare on her face.  
  
"Move out of the way, Nephrite," Spectra said, "I'll handle the intruder."  
  
"This intruder," Nephrite then said coldly, "Is my cousin, Megumi, and she's here to help fight the monsters that may have killed the Princess's bodyguards."  
  
"How can she help in that getup?" Spectra asked flatly, just as Kiko appeared beside her to speak.  
  
"Glad you asked!" Kiko said, frightening Spectra as he went unnoticed until now, and earning a few giggles from the gathered Senshi, "See, Megumi is the Scarlet Jester, Harlequin, who was a great hero in Hybridia! Her powers come from Comedy and fire, so she's a master of pyrotechnics and gags, like me!"  
  
"So... I'm a fiery jester?" Megumi said, before hovering off the ground, which ended up surprising Kiko.  
  
"Okay, flight's new," Kiko said, while everyone but Rini looked on in suspicion of Kiko.  
  
"Um... w-well uh..." Megumi said, causing Nephrite to speak up in her defense.  
  
"Megumi's always had a knack for magic," he said, "I've been teaching her on the side to keep it under control lately, but... well, so far it seems she's got problems keeping her feet on the ground."  
  
"Y-Yeah..." Megumi said quietly as she sheepishly moved from her hiding spot again. The inner senshi and Neo Queen Serenity were silent then as if they knew something that Megumi didn't. As Megumi gulped, she started to fear the worst as she worried that this could mean that she couldn't attain her wish after all.  
  
Then, the queen smiled and relaxed a bit as she spoke.  
  
"Well, if you swear loyalty to my daughter," said Neo-Queen Serenity, "I'm sure she'll be happy to have you at her side."  
  
"I... I don't need to swear Loyalty, your Majesty," Megumi then said as she looked into the princess's eyes with her own, "I'm always going to be there for Rini if she'll let me."  
  
"I do." the princess then said with a smile, before running over to hug her friend, "I'm just glad you're going to help in your own way!"  
  
 _My wish is coming true,_  Megumi then thought to herself as she hugged her friend back, just as the princess spoke up again.  
  
"I wonder what your sword doe?" she then said, "Do you think it's magic too?"  
  
"Well Kiko, is it?" Megumi then said, causing the Bunneleon to nod as he spoke again.  
  
"You bet it is!" he said, "The Harelquin's Sword is special since it can let you alter your surroundings. All you need to do is draw it, point it at something and think about what you want to change it into! Think of it as changing the set of a play."  
  
"Okay..." Megumi then said as she drew her sword, and pointed it at her friend's throne and focused. Before everyone's eyes, the white crystal throne then turned a pale pink and soon Megumi was changing the colors of the other thrones to match their seated senshi. Though, before she could change the color of Serenity's throne, the gem on the handguard started flashing, much to Megumi's confusion.  
  
"Um, why is the gem flashing?" Megumi then asked Kiko, only for the Bunneleon to pull out a helmet and put it on his head.  
  
"It means that a Beast of Tragedy is coming this way!" Kiko said, drawing his toy sword from his mane and get ready for battle. As the other senshi gathered around Neo-Queen Serenity and Megumi, Spectra and the three God-Generals got close to the princess, they prepared for an assault on all sides.  
  
What they did not expect, was for the monster from the Graveyard- now in a nice new suit, to burst through the wall like it was made of paper.  
  
"Monsieur Danseur de Tombe!?" Kiko then said in surprise, "Didn't we destroy you already!?"  
  
"I got better thanks to the despair of death!" Horatio said hammily, before tapping his foot against the ground. "Now, I think I'll be getting revenge on you senshi for killing me a couple of days ago!"  
  
"I don't think so!" said Sailor Venus, before attempting to strike the monster with her Love and Beauty Shock. The monster, however, dodged with a twirl and did the same of the other attacks sent its way.   
  
"Behold the power of DANCE!" the monster then said as he began to flamenco his way towards the senshi with a killer intent in his eyes. Megumi however, teleported in front of him and blocked his claw with her sword while Kiko stabbed him from behind.  
  
The monster screamed and jumped away with grace despite bleeding from the back, before seeing Megumi in her jester costume and began to panic even more.  
  
"A Jester, here!?" he said, before posing dramatically, "How can this be!?"  
  
"You think I came here alone, Horatio!?" Kiko said tauntingly as Megumi blocked the monster's bladed foot with her sword, "Nah, I brought along the Marrotes of Power to help defeat your kind for good!"  
  
"Why you little!" Horatio said, though what else he was about to say seemed to be censored by a scream of pain as Megumi stabbed him in the side with her sword. Still, the monster danced, as did Megumi as claws battled blade and footwork battled footwork. Megumi however, found herself laughing as she had fun dancing with the monster while using the sword techniques she learned from her cousin to have the upper hand.   
  
"Here! We! Go!" Megumi said after a few parries and a stab through the monster's shoulder, causing Horatio to stagger and fall to one knee. The senshi took their chance and were about to attack along with the three God-Generals when Neo-Queen Serenity stood up and raised her scepter, the Moon Power Tiare, and spoke.  
  
 _"Silver Moon Crystal Power Therapy Kiss!"_  she invoked, causing silver beams of light to fly at Horatio, healing his wounds and also defeating the monster.  
  
"So... Beautiful..." he said, before fading from sight, as if he never existed in the first place.  
  
Megumi was silent as she witnessed the queen's power, and felt a pang of fear go through her as if she felt like she was once at the receiving end of something similar. But that was impossible, Megumi has never done anything to anger Neo-Queen Serenity as far as she knew and didn't plan on angering her now that she'd be working with her daughter. Still that feeling of dread lingered for a little while, before a new feeling filled her body, a feeling of hope as she looked down and saw Kiko hugging her chest.  
  
"Why are you hugging me?" Megumi asked in confusion, causing Kiko to smile and hug a little tighter as he spoke.  
  
"Because I knew you'd be a great jester, and I was right!" Kiko said, "Plus, isn't a good idea to give me headpats for helping?"  
  
"Ok," Megumi said with a laugh as she gently patted Kiko's head, followed by Princess Serenity doing the same.  
  
"So cute!" the princess then said with a smile, followed by Kiko wriggling off f Megumi's chest and hugging the princess as well.  
  
 _"Oh, Princesse, tu es trop gentille!"_  Kiko purred, before leaning into the head patting like a cat.   
  
"What did he say?" the princess then said, "My French is a bit rusty..."  
  
"He said you're too kind." Megumi then said, when Sailor Venus spoke up.  
  
"Why does he speak French, anyway?" she said, only for Kiko to clear his throat and speak up.  
  
"Because it's romantic, of course!" Kiko said with a smile, "Plus, it's fun to speak it sometimes."  
  
"I see..." Venus said, "Can I pat your head too?"  
  
"I feel I didn't really earn it yet," Kiko then said sadly, "But you can if you want."  
  
Jumping out of the princess's arms, Kiko then landed safely on the table with a flip and a twirl and was about to receive a head pat from Sailor Venus when the queen raised her hand and pet the Bunneleon instead.  
  
"The... the queen is patting me..." Kiko stumbled to say, only for the Neo-Queen Serenity to speak up and explain.  
  
"That is for saving my daughter," she said with a smile, "Also, for being the cutest little creature I've ever seen!"  
  
"Merci, Your Majesty," Kiko said, blushing quite a bit as he gave a bow and left the table before turning to Megumi.  
  
"Well, it's probably getting late, so we better head home!" Kiko said before pulling a box out of his mane and opening it to reveal it filled with make-up wipes, "Here, use these on your face to remove the makeup, then you'll go back to normal, Megumi."  
  
"Oh, thank you," Megumi said as she started wiping her face clean, and in moments was back in her school uniform. With the monster defeated and the day saved by the Queen, Megumi still felt good for helping out when she could, and so went home with a smile on her face.  
  
Today had been a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And in this chapter, we not only see Megumi's Jester Powers at work but also say farewell to Horatio Tipperforth. 
> 
> Also, Kiko's going to be trying to earn a head pat from each senshi now. He really likes the head pats. 
> 
> Anyway, NEXT CHAPTER- 
> 
> When Megumi and Rini tell Hotaru about recent events, Spectra comes along because she's been allowed to join the party by the Academy! But wait, the villainous Beasts of Tragedy seem to have a Sailor Scout of their own! What could be going on? And what kind of monster would be brave enough to simply walk up to our heroes?
> 
> Next time on Jesters of the Moon- A Civil Monster? The Tragic Beast of Spilt Milk!


	6. A Civil Monster? The Tragic Beast of Spilt Milk!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things just get a little silly for our heroes...

"So, a Jester has awakened?" said the prince in black and white, his blonde hair blowing in an unnatural breeze as he was surrounded by his three Followers- a feminine monster in pink with a broken heart motif, a man in a simple black kimono drinking tea and finally a burly man dressed like a colonel complete with fringed epaulets and uniform. In front of them though, was a tall woman with dark hair, black eyes and a black leotard with a pure white sailor collar, ribbons, and a matching skirt. She had on short black gloves and black heels. Her tiara was made of a black metal instead of gold and was decorated with a cloudy white calcite gem, while her choker was black and decorated with a white cross. She had an annoyed look on her face, though her voice showed no emotion at all when she spoke.  
  
"Unfortunately so, my Prince," said the woman, sending worried murmurs among the gathered council of three, "It seems that guardian you told me about, Kiko, has somehow left Hybridia and is now looking for Jesters to help his cause.  
  
"Do you know which jester has awoken first?" asked the prince calmly.  
  
"The Harlequin," said the senshi, "And from what I can tell, she's already able to use the Toon Teleport with ease, and already has a handle on how to use the sword you warned me about."  
  
"I see," the Prince then said, before pretending to wipe a tear that fell from his mask, "It is of no worries to us, my dear Nemesis. Just continue spying on the senshi and kill them when they're most vulnerable, as we planned."  
  
"Of course, my Prince," Nemesis then said, "Though until I saw one for myself, I did not expect there to be more than just sailor scouts and the enemies they faced. The implications of there being more than just us... is worrying."  
  
"Do not fret, my dear," the Prince then said as he stood up and walked towards Nemesis before grabbing her hand and kissing it, "The Harlequin is still new to her duties, we have plenty of time to carry out our plan before she catches on."  
  
"And what of the other four potential jesters?" said the woman with the broken heart, "Scapin, Scaramouche, Brighella and Mezzetino. Together with the Harlequin, we may run into trouble again. I say we find their potential vessels and kill them for the glorious despair it will cause them."  
  
"I agree with my dear Juliet!" Said the Colonel, "I could send out my desirens to hunt for the future vessels and destroy them before they awaken!"  
  
"There's just one problem, Titus," said the man in the kimono as he sipped his tea, his red and white hair styled into a low ponytail "We don't know where to even find them, besides, Kiko has the marrotes of power, most likely, and would probably only hand them out to those who he trusts. So let's just leave the Jesters alone for now, and focus on our mission of generating despair."  
  
"The voice of reason as always, Thanatos," the Prince then said as he turned towards the man in the kimono, "I'm glad that I didn't execute you when I had the chance after all."  
  
"Please don't remind me of that," said Thanatos with a groan, "I'd rather not think about what would happen if I did die, though I'm curious about it still."  
  
"Right, right," the Prince then said as he turned back towards Nemesis, "Now then, Darling Nemesis, how goes your mission so far?"  
  
"I have killed the Sailor Quartet as ordered, my darling Prince of Tragedy," the sailor senshi then said, "Though, I've yet to find weaknesses in the elder senshi that I must work under for now."  
  
"I see, and the Princess?" the prince then asked, pulling Nemesis close.  
  
"Still alive, I'm afraid, but I'll find a way to murder her soon..." Nemesis said, before kissing her prince on the lips.  
  
"Do they suspect?" the prince said as he pulled back.  
  
"No," Nemesis then said with a small smile, "I must go now, my dear prince, I have a job to do as a Sailor Senshi, after all."  
  
"Of course, of course," the Prince then said with a laugh, "Good luck, my dear Nemesis, and return safely to me."  
  
"I always do." Nemesis said before she vanished from sight within the dark dimension the meeting was held in.  
  
"My Prince," said Juliet, "Your affections for that girl sicken me."  
  
"I'm aware, Juliet," the Prince then said with a smile as he walked back to his throne, "By the way, has anyone seen the other Tipperforth lately?"  
  
"Oh, I let him pass into the world we're trying to conquer," Thanatos then said with a shrug, "Said he wanted to avenge his brother or something."  
  
"Well, he's going to die, since he's the weakest of us all," said Titus flatly.  
  
"Oh he might," Thanatos said as he looked at the tea leaves in his cup, "Then again, he might not. Never know for sure with a beast of spilled milk. Always something to cry about."  
  


(....O....)  


"Wow, all that happened yesterday?" Hotaru then said as she adjusted her purple turtleneck, feeling guilty about packing during a time when she was needed.  
  
"Yeah," both Megumi and Serenity then said with a nod, while Kiko sat in Megumi's lap. The trio was at the Sweet Dreams Cafe, meeting with Hotaru before she left for Saturn to perform her duties with Sailors Uranus and Neptune. While there, Megumi and Serenity had also decided to fill their friend in on what happened the previous day, with the meeting that Saturn had missed due to making sure all her things were in order and attending a farewell party thrown by her family. As they chatted though, Hotaru did get to pet Kiko who enjoyed her soft touch and even got flowers from the little Bunneleon- purple orchids.  
  
"What's really bad is that Sailor Spectra is joining us while you're away," Megumi said, remembering that the pastel-clad sailor did try and kill her once already.  
  
"Why's that?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"Well... um..." Megumi said, trying to find the right words before Kiko butted in with his own view on Spectra.  
  
"Because she's a murderous psycho! She held a knife up to Megumi's neck yesterday!" Kiko then said, causing Megumi to flinch at the memory.  
  
"I see," Hotaru said coldly, the table falling silent as she glared at the thought of someone hurting her friend.  
  
"Well, as much as I question the Academy's decision on which scout they could send," said Diana from Serenity's purse, before the gray cat hopped onto the table they were seated at outside the place, "However, Small Lady, you need all the help you can get with the Sailor Quartet..."  
  
All was silent then, the group having remembered the deaths of their friends, while Kiko looked around awkwardly for a moment, unsure how to cheer everyone up. Then, the Bunneleon got an idea, before presenting a small bouquet of six, miniature pink roses to the gray cat and spoke.  
  
"I may have been late to the party, but perhaps these roses might cheer up the pretty kitty?" Kiko then said with a genuine smile, only for Diana to turn her head away and sniff the air.  
  
"I'm not interested in flirtatious bad boys," Diana said coldly, causing Kiko to flinch before putting a paw over his heart.  
  
"Ah, the lady is so cruel, my heart is broken..." he said hammily, before leaving the flowers on the table and laughing a bit. The laughter was a bit infectious, and soon the table was laughing while they waited for Spectra to show up.  
  
Soon, a young woman about a head shorter than the princess walked up, looking familiar to Megumi with her white hair styled into looping pigtails, while her cold gray eyes bored into Megumi's soul. As the redhead flinched along with Kiko, the girl then relaxed a bit before introducing herself.  
  
"Hello, I'm Lydia Morgan, you may know me as Sailor Spectra, but please call me Lydia while we're in Civilian form." said the girl before bowing.  
  
"Nice to meet ya, Lydia!" Kiko said as he extended his paw and presented some orange lilies and bird's foot trefoils to the white-haired girl, only for Lydia to ignore them as she spoke to the princess.  
  
"Princess Serenity, I hope to work well with you in the future," she said, extending her hand. As Serenity shook it though, she looked at Megumi in concern, while Kiko sent what would have been best described as the mother of all death glares at Lydia, which was certainly saying something about the adorable Bunneleon.  
  
A little later, when everyone got parfaits, with Lydia getting one with plenty of different fruit, Serenity getting a strawberry parfait, Hotaru a blueberry parfait and Megumi a chocolate one, Lydia decided to be nice and share her parfait with Hotaru and Serenity.  
  
"Um... e-excuse me, Lydia?" Megumi then said, "Do you think I can have a taste? I'll share some of my chocolate parfait with you."  
  
"You should watch your weight," Lydia then said, causing Serenity to glare at Lydia.  
  
"Um... w-well, I hope we can be friends, at least?" Megumi said with a small smile, only for Lydia to turn her way and glare.  
  
"Why don't you be quiet and let the Senshi talk?" Lydia then said, causing Megumi to look down at her parfait in defeat.  
  
"So what if she isn't an actual senshi!?" Serenity said as she slammed her hands down on the table, "I consider her a friend and an honorary senshi on the team! So, if we're going to work together, Lydia, then I want you to be nice to my friends and include her in our meetings. Otherwise, I'll report your conduct to the academy and have you exchanged for someone else."  
  
Lydia flinched at the threat but relaxed soon after as she ate her parfait.   
  
"Yes, your highness," she said quietly, before looking to Serenity to begin talking business.  
  
"Alright then," Hotaru then said, "What do we know about the enemy?"  
  
"Not much," Megumi said, "According to Kiko, the Beasts of Tragedy are willing to do whatever it takes to cause despair, even if it means murder."  
  
"Yeah, and with the Desirens causing trouble as well, it'll be hard to fight them off." Serenity then said with a sigh as she ate her parfait, and even offering a large strawberry to Kiko, who happily accepted it.  
  
"What's a Desiren?" Kiko then asked, before devouring the strawberry.  
  
"Desirens," said Spectra, "Are monsters born from twisted desires and wishes, that go out to crush the dreams of the innocent, usually by reaching into their chest and taking out a wish stone and crushing it in their hands, and absorbing the power from it to empower themselves."  
  
"Sounds familiar..." Kiko said with a serious tone in his voice, "But I can't seem to recall how..."   
  
"Well, what do you know about the Beasts of Tragedy, Kiko?" Megumi then asked as she finished off her chocolate parfait- saving a heart-shaped piece of chocolate cake for Kiko.  
  
"Well, I know that their leader is known as the Prince of Tragedy, and he just... showed up one day wanting to conquer Hybridia with his cohorts, Juliet, the Beast of Broken Hearts, Titus the Beast of Crushed Dreams and finally, Thanatos, the Beast of Death. Though, to be honest, Thanatos is a weirdo and seems to just try and help people move on despite being a Beast. I've even had tea with him sometimes back home."  
  
"Sounds like a nice guy," Hotaru then said, "Shame I might not be able to meet him before I head to Saturn tomorrow."  
  
"Thanatos is.... well, he's certainly unique..." Kiko said as if remembering a moment from the past.  
  
"What about Titus and Juliet, or even the Prince?" Diana then asked, the cat sitting on the table near Kiko as the Bunneleon crossed his forelegs and hummed a bit.  
  
"Well, Titus is a former Hybridian Colonel and a bit of a blowhard, but his usual gimmick is taking a person's wish and twisting it, unlike me, who can grant a wish straightforwardly once in a while," Kiko then said as he looked up at the umbrella over their table, "As for Juliet, well, according to my sources, she's got this huge crush on the Prince, but he doesn't return those feelings at all, so she works for him in hopes that he'll notice her. As for the Prince himself, not even my sources can get any background on him, I'm afraid."  
  
"Your sources being Thanatos?" Spectra then asked, causing Kiko to nod.  
  
"What can I say? The guy likes to complain about his co-workers," Kiko said with a shrug, just as screams could be heard. As people ran, the girls soon saw a monster with a yellow body, wearing a tuxedo jacket, a cravat, a monocle, and a top hat. Most notable about the monster was the black, handlebar mustache he had that obscured his mouth and his solid blue eyes. Though, as the monster walked towards the girls, who got ready for a fight, the monster instead bowed and spoke to them in a rather civil tone.  
  
"Pardon me ladies, but have you seen my brother about?"   
  
"Your brother?" the girls said together, while Lydia transformed into Sailor Spectra in a flash of light and prepared drew her knife from her back ribbon.  
  
"Yes, my dear brother Horatio," said the monster, who dodged the knife attack with a simple sidestep, and reached a clawed hand behind him to grab at Spectra's hand and forcibly take her knife away, "Now, now, it's quite rude to attack an unarmed Beast of Tragedy."  
  
The girls then looked at Kiko who slapped his face with his paw and groaned before saying, "Jefferson, what are you doing here?"  
  
"Looking for Horatio so I can give him what for about his habits!" Jefferson then said, before doing a double take and looked at the little Bunneleon, "Oh, Sir Kiko, when did you get to this world?"  
  
"Two days ago," Kiko said plainly, "Anyway, your brother was kind of being a jerk so he had to be put down... twice."   
  
"Oh dear," Jefferson then said, "Well, in that case, I'm not quite sure what to do with myself now, I had to do the awful thing and lie to Thanatos about my reasons for coming here, and I honestly can't show my face back in the base now, I'd be killed!"  
  
"Don't worry Jeff," Kiko then said, "I'm sure we can think of something for you to do."  
  
"So, girls, what should we do?" Serenity then said after a quick change, "I mean... he's not actually hurting anyone, is he? And what's he the Tragic Beast of, anyway?"  
  
"Spilt milk," both Kiko and Jefferson then said at the same time, while the monster added, "I'm not that quite strong, but I really don't want to return to the lair either.... oh, if only I opened up that tea shop rather than join the beasts of tragedy like mother wanted...."  
  
"Well, maybe I can purify you?" Serenity then said, causing Jefferson to blink as he sat down and signaled that he wanted to talk about this option.  
  
"What would Purification even do?" Jefferson then asked only for Spectra to interject.  
  
"Why don't we just kill him? He's a monster, isn't he?" said the pastel-clad senshi, only for Megumi to argue in defense of purification.  
  
"Well, he's not really doing any harm," she said, "And if he's purified, we may not have to worry about him hurting anyone, right?"  
  
"I-I guess..." Spectra said, while Hotaru merely watched things unfold in confusion.  
  
"Well, anyway, Purification means that I cleanse the evil energies from your body, and turn you into a good person. But, it only works like that if you want it, if you don't... you end up being turned into dust." Serenity or rather Sailor Neo-Moon then said as she sat across the table from Jefferson.  
  
"I say, that is quite a decision," said the monster as he crossed his arms, "Still, I would like to retire from the Beasts of Tragedy, but the severance pay is downright awful since it'll lead to my death anyway..."   
  
"That's horrible!" Sailor Neo Moon then said, "But, are you sure Purification is what you want? I mean, if you'd rather fight...."  
  
The monster said nothing, and simply put a clawed hand on top of the princess's, "No worries, I don't want to fight, in fact, I despise it!" he said gently, "No, I think Purification might be best, if only so I can have better chances of getting closer to my dream of having a tea shop!"  
  
"Well, if you say so..." Serenity then said, before drawing a wand from thin air. The head if the wand looked like a crown, while the shaft brought to mind a winged flute. This was the princess's Eternal Tiare, and while powerful, could only be used one battle at a time. This was due to something happening to the princess, Megumi wasn't sure what exactly, that caused her to go back to the start of her power level, and when asked about it, all the princess could do was shake her head and smile at Megumi, before telling her it was the price she had to pay for something she did a long time ago.  
  
"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!" the princess then invoked, the wand flashing a bright light towards Jefferson as the monster remained seated in his chair. When the light cleared he was still a monster in appearance, but his claws were shorter and he also had on a pair of pants and a shirt along with his jacket. He also had a crop of black hair on his head to go with his mustache and top-hat, and overall looked rather classy.  
  
"Did... did it even work?" Serenity then said, only for Jefferson to stand up and shake her hand.  
  
"Maybe not as intended, but I do feel much better!" he said before giving a bow, "Thank you, Princess, now... for me to find a job at a good tea shop, as I am a beast no more!"  
  
And so, much to the confusion of our heroes about what just happened, Jefferson Tipperforth, walked away to enjoy his new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we meet what is to me the best character in the whole story so far- Jefferson Tipperforth, tea enthusiast, and the one guy who gets purified in his first appearance. Sort of. I mean, yeah, the purification worked... mostly, but I felt him looking less like a monster would be funnier than him turning into a human.
> 
> Also, it seems that the bad guys have their own senshi, but who is she? And how is she keeping tabs on the other Sailors? That will be answered in time, but I'd like to hear theories if you got'em!
> 
> Anyway... next time! A certain absent God General's whereabouts are finally revealed.


	7. The God Generals United? The Return of Jadeite!?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megumi has an interesting day. Meanwhile, an old friend(?) is finally brought out of his personal hell.

_It was dark, and the vile sorceress was sitting on a throne, glaring at the blond man kneeling before her. He seemed nervous about something, yet at the same time acted as though he had just gained a huge advantage over an enemy as he spoke.  
  
"... I have important information for you," he said, though not looking the queen in the eye as he said this.  
  
"You failed to defeat the sailor senshi, _____," said the queen, the man's name censored by static as the world around them crackled and popped like an old record.  
  
"But... I've learned their identities, I know who they are!"  
  
"I will hear no excuses! Sleep forever!"  
  
"... Wait..."   
  
In a flash, the young man was inside a giant crystal, fast asleep as he was sent away to parts unknown. Murmurs of monsters went through those who had watched, but any other words were blocked out as someone stepped up to the queen.  
_

(....O....)  


Megumi woke up with a start, tears falling from her eyes as she woke up from her latest nightmare. It had been a while since she had that specific nightmare, with the short-haired blonde being sealed away in a crystal- three years to be exact. In fact, usually, when she has a nightmare related to that evil queen, it involved Zoisite dying horribly, or worse, the queen herself. She never knew the queen's name, not why she had these nightmares, but so far, the only one who knew about them was her cousin Nico.  
  
Taking a few deep breaths while she was wide awake, Megumi then looked around the room to see Kiko curled up on her legs, the bunneleon looking at her in worry as she rubbed her eyes.  
  
"Are you ok?" Kiko then asked, only for Megumi to nod.  
  
"Yeah, it was only a nightmare," she said, "I... have them a lot."  
  
"Constant bad dreams aren't good, Megumi," he then said, hopping towards her a little and curling up by her side, "and tears aren't a good look for you, either."  
  
"Oh, was I crying again?" Megumi asked casually, causing Kiko to stand up and look in horror.  
  
"You're really that used to them?" he asked, earning another nod from Megumi, "Well, I don't like to see a girl cry, so... I want to protect your smile!"  
  
"Protect... my smile?" Megumi asked in confusion, while Kiko nodded and crossed his forelegs.  
  
"Yeah!" he said with a smile of his own, "A knight should always protect the smiles of his lady, and since my job is to help you and whatever other Jesters we find, I want to be your Knight, ok Megumi?"  
  
"Alright," Megumi said with a small laugh, "I promise to try to keep from crying in the future."  
  
"And I promise to be by your side, Megumi." Kiko said, before giving the girl a hug, "Goodnight, Megumi."  
  
"Goodnight, Kiko," Megumi said with a smile, and soon fell back asleep.  
  


(....O....)  


The next morning, Megumi was running to school as fast as she could, having overslept by ten minutes. Though her and Nico's apartment was only twenty minutes away from the school, Megumi still liked to be there early to do a little extra studying before class, and also do her best to avoid Goku. As she ran, she focused on not flying to school, in an attempt for some normalcy in her life.  
  
Unfortunately, normalcy was about to go out the window as she crashed into a man in a white suit and bird-themed mask, and fell onto the ground.  
  
"Sorry!" she said quickly, only for the stranger to offer a hand to help her up. As she took it though, he seemed stronger than he looked as he lifted her with ease, a smile on his face as he spoke to her.  
  
"Not a problem!" he said happily, "Sorry I wasn't paying attention, cutie, but I was trying to remember what I was doing when you bumped into me."  
  
"I-I see." Megumi said, before looking at her watch, "Sorry, but I'm in a hurry, so... um... see you later or something!"  
  
With that, Megumi ran as fast as she can, heading straight for her school. The man in white, however, smiled then as he remembered something, and spoke to himself just as a bird landed on his shoulder.  
  
"Well, cutie, I'll hold you up to your word about later!" he said with a smile as he headed the opposite direction, and whistled "Peter and the Wolf" as he stroked his bird's neck with a finger.  
  
This was just the start of an unusual day for Megumi.  
  


(....O....)  


The last thing he remembered before this private hell of dreams and nightmares began, was the wicked queen Beryl placing him into an eternal sleep. However, he would occasionally wake up inside his crystal prison, unable to move or scream or speak. All he could do was watch as he hovered in darkness for what felt like an eternity, the youma that passed him by dwindling as time went on.  
  
Then, there was no one, and he was alone. All he could do was simply dream to pass the time.  
  
In his dreams, he was still part of the God-Generals, in a peaceful kingdom guarding not Queen Beryl, but someone else, a king? Yes, that was probably right. But what was his name?  
  
He couldn't remember.  
  
Sometimes his dreams would be more fantastical, with all sorts of things happening. From him breaking out of his prison and getting revenge on the sailor scouts, sometimes he'd repent and join them and even work closely with Mars. Other times, he was a giant, or a tiny fairy fighting a dragon.  
  
One time, he dreamt he was a prince in a far-off land, ruling justly as he battled against monsters.  
  
It had gotten to the point that he wondered if his prison was just some nightmare and that he'd wake up soon in his true reality, whatever that was, and finally be free of this hell. He didn't care what he'd do once he was free, all he wanted was this nightmare to en-  
  
Wait, what was that? Voices? A... A light?  
  
Something spilled away from him, as he saw through the crystal the surprised faces of his fellow God-Generals. Wait, why were they surprised? Didn't they know about his punishment?  
  
 _"I can't believe it..."_ said Nephrite,  _"He's been in there this whole time..."  
  
"It must have been hell, poor thing,"_ said Zoisite- wait, why was he actually concerned? Didn't he only worry about Kunzite and his looks? This was strange... maybe it was another dream.  
  
 _"How do we wake him up?"_  said a new voice, a girl he didn't recognize, yet sounded vaguely familiar. Though, seeing through the crystal when she appeared, he found her familiar looking as well, but couldn't place it as he looked at her school uniform. She was tall, yes, about maybe 16 in age. Her red hair tumbled down in waves down to her shoulders while her red eyes seemed concerned for the man.  
  
Red eyes... where had he seen them before?  
  
He couldn't remember.  
  
The girl then grunted as Kunzite mentioned something, he didn't catch what, before clutching her head in pain. Next thing he knew, his prison was tumbling towards the ground making him wish he could brace himself before---  
  
CRACK!  
  
Jadeite blinked for the first time in ages, before gasping for air as he started to feel his limbs move again. Looking around in fear, he realized he didn't recognize this crystal palace or the spires in the distance. He was confused, especially as the girl spoke again.  
  
"Sorry! I swear, I didn't mean to do that!" she said quickly before helping the blonde up off the ground, "Are you alright?"  
  
"I... I don't know..." Jadeite then said as he flexed his fingers as he stood up, before cracking the bones in his neck and stretching. "I'm not sure if I'm still dreaming or if I'm actually awake."  
  
"I could help!" said a new voice, causing Jadeite to look down as he saw what looked like a fusion between a rabbit and a lion. Suddenly, the beast pinched him, and while it hurt, Jadeite wasn't sure if this was even real anymore. After all, what kind of reality had a rabbit-lion hybrid in it?  
  
"Not... really helping that much..." Jadeite said then before the girl spoke again.  
  
"Kiko! Now isn't the time for gags!" she said, causing the hybrid to sigh and nod.  
  
"Excuse me, but where am I?" Jadeite then said, causing the other three God-Generals to look at the younger blonde. Now that he had a chance to look at them, Nephrite and Zoisite actually seemed a little older than before. "This.. doesn't look like the Dark Kingdom."  
  
"It's not," said Kunzite, "This is Crystal Tokyo, home of King Endymion and Neo-Queen Serenity and their daughter, Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity Tsukino."  
  
"Then, The Dark Kingdom fell?" Jadeite then said, "But, how did you three survive?"  
  
"You've been imprisoned for a long time, Jadeite." Kunzite then said quietly, "It's been over one thousand years since the Dark Kingdom fell, Myself, Zoisite and Nephrite all reincarnated after our deaths... you're the only survivor."  
  
"The... the only survivor...?" Jadeite then said before he became worried as he asked his next question. "And what of Queen Beryl? Has... has she reincarnated as well?"  
  
"If she has, we don't know where she is or who she could be," Kunzite said, while Jadeite noticed that Nephrite looked uncomfortable as he looked towards the girl.  
  
"So, who's the girl?" Jadeite then asked Nephrite.  
  
"My cousin, Megumi Asakura." the brunette then said, while Megumi spoke up next, rather shyly as well.  
  
"N-Nice to meet you," she said, extending a hand out to Jadeite. As the blonde shook it, he looked into the girl's eyes and couldn't shake away the sense of familiarity, but just couldn't remember who or where. It bothered him, not knowing.  
  
"Likewise," Jadeite then said curtly as he turned to the other God-Generals and spoke up, "So, what is the status on the Sailor Senshi?"  
  
The three generals were silent than before Zoisite spoke up.  
  
"So... who wants to tell him? Nephrite? Kunzite?"  
  
"I'll explain," Kunzite then said, before clearing his throat, "The senshi and the four of us are allies now. As we were originally in the past."  
  
"Originally? What are you talking about?" Jadeite then asked, before his head started to pound. "What...what's going on?"  
  
"Memories from the Silver Millenium," Kunzite then explained as he grabbed Jadeite to steady him, "Relax, and let it happen naturally."  
  
Memories flooded JAdeite's mind then, of a time long ago. Of a peaceful kingdom and memories of a certain sailor senshi, he knew as... his lover?  
  
Mars and he were in love? That was impossible. He hated Mars the most of all the Senshi... didn't he?  
  
"This... this is too much!" he said despite the pain he was in, "Why... why does this feel so wrong and right at the same time!? What do I even do with myself now!?"  
  
"Wow, he's kind of like the guy I met on the way to school today... minus the flirting..." Megumi then said quietly, causing Nephrite to look at her in suspicion.  
  
"What guy?" he said then, causing Megumi to gulp as she explained.  
  
"Um w-well..." she began, "I didn't get his name but he had mint green hair, and wore a bird-like mask and a white suit."  
  
"Did he try anything?" Nephrite then asked, only for Megumi to shake her head no, much to relief. "Good, because if he did, I'd have sought him out to destroy him."  
  
"Oh relax Nephrite," Zoisite then said with a sigh, "It's just a boy."  
  
"Just a boy!?" Nephrite then said, "Listen, you've never dealt with raising a teenager, so I'm worried about Megumi all the time when it comes to boys, I mean, sure she has a crush already but---"  
  
"N-Nico!" Megumi then said, blushing furiously as Kunzite groaned as Zoisite squealed in delight and pulled Megumi away to chat about guys.  
  
"Has... Has this really become what the God-Generals have turned into?" Jadeite then said in embarrassment.  
  
"At least you weren't here Kiko's demonstration..." Kunzite grumbled, just as the hybrid spoke.  
  
"Oh come on, Kunzie! It was all in good fun!" Kiko then said with a toothy grin, while Jadeite merely stood in confusion. Then, he saw a pair of people arrive into the area, a man with dark hair and a domino mask with a white suit and cape. Holding his hand was a familiar looking woman with white hair, a white gown and a tiara on her head. Though, the mark on her forehead was most familiar- that of a crescent moon.  
  
"S-Sailor Moon!?" Jadeite said and was about to attack when Kunzite put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"No Jadeite, that's Neo-Queen Serenity," said the white-haired man, "She and her husband, King Endymion are who we work for now."  
  
"Wh-What!?" Jadeite then said before looking at the queen's blue eyes as she smiled at him before he felt another headache coming on.  
  
"I... I think I need to lie down..." he said as Kunzite moved to grab the blonde as Jadeite started to feel faint.  
  
"But... what about training?" Megumi then said, causing Jadeite to blink in confusion.  
  
"Training?" Jadeite then said, causing Kunzite to give a rather quick explanation.  
  
"Megumi has magical powers she has trouble controlling, and we're helping her." Kunzite then said, "Also, for some reason, that blasted Kiko decided to turn her into a magical jester, so she's training for that as well."  
  
"You're... kidding, right?" Jadeite then said, before looking at the queen and king and speaking to them, "Tell me this is all just a dream."  
  
"Oh, it's real, Jadeite." Neo-Queen Serenity then said with a giggle, "It was quite a fight she helped us out in after she got her Jester Powers, also Kiko is quite adorable, don't you think?"  
  
"Well... this is my first time meeting him in person..." Endymion then said as the hybrid saluted to the king with respect.  
  
"Oh darling, don't worry he's harmless!" the queen then said, "Now, have fun training, Megumi!"  
  
"Th-Thank you, your majesty!" Megumi said with a bow, while the king and queen of Crystal Tokyo left the scene. As Jadeite was left to think though, he thought about Megumi's magical ability and remembered Queen Beryl. However, while it was possible that Megumi was actually Beryl reborn, she didn't act like the wicked queen at all and was shy and nervous around people, instead. It was rather strange, to see someone who resembled Beryl act nothing like her, however, if she was in training, then perhaps it would be a good idea to stay and watch, just to see what she was capable of.  
  
"May I watch the training session?" he then asked, having decided to keep an eye on Megumi just in case she really was the evil queen reborn.  
  
"I'm not sure you're ready for that yet," Kunzite then said, "You just woke up, and most likely, you need time to get used to things."  
  
"I don't mind if he watches," Megumi then said, before pulling out a strange looking wand and raising it into the air as she invoked the word "Zani!" Next thing Jadeite knew, she was surrounded by flames, before they vanished and were replaced by a red, orange and white jester costume with a tailcoat, red shoes that flared open at the top, and finally an orange leotard and tights. It was odd, seeing the girl with makeup to make her look like a clown, but for some reason, he couldn't help but smile as she spoke.  
  
"Do you want to help out with training as well, Jadeite?" she then asked, only for the blond to shake his head no.  
  
"I'm fine with watching," he then said, before sitting down on the ground to watch. Next, Kiko sat down beside him munching on popcorn and was polite enough to offer some to Jadeite. Of course, the blond refused and happily watched as Megumi, now the Jester Harlequin, took to the air to dodge Zoisite's rose petals, before retaliating with fireworks. The colored sparks then set the petals on fire, causing a beautiful but deadly sight as the petals turned to ash. Next, Zoisite fired ice crystals at Megumi, which she countered with small fireballs.  
  
The way she used fire was almost like how Sailor Mars used the power of fire against him, though there were differences. For some reason, as he recalled flaming talismans from Mars, Megumi used fireballs without such things. Then, he took a closer look and saw Megumi actually lob a flaming crystal at Zoisite, causing a blinding flash as it hit the ground. NExt thing Jadeite knew, Megumi was tagging Zoisite's back with a smile on her face, while she hovered in the air.  
  
"Nice new move!" Kiko then said, "That flashbang should come in handy against the Beasts of Tragedy!"  
  
"Beasts of Tragedy?" Jadeite asked Kiko, "Are they the enemy?"  
  
"Yeah!" Kiko said with a nod, while Megumi and Nephrite prepared to have a practice swordfight, "They're awful monsters who will do anything to create despair, be it crushing wishes and dreams, breaking hearts or even killing people. They feed on despair like it was really good candy or something."  
  
"I see," Jadeite said, "It sounds kind of like they feed on Negative Energy, like what I used to gather for the Dark Kingdom."  
  
"The Dark Kingdom?" Kiko then asked, "What's that?"  
  
"A memory now," Jadeite then said as he watched Megumi parry Nephrite's blade. However, Nephrite was more experienced with the sword as he fought with his all, thrusting, parrying and countering Megumi's every move.  
  
Then, Kunzite decided to get involved, blasting Megumi with a sphere of dark energy, which sent her flying to the side.   
  
"Kunzite, what the hell!?" Nephrite said, only for the white-haired leader of the God-Generals to speak.  
  
"The enemy has already killed the princess's bodyguards, they may not give warning again in the future," Kunzite said coldly, before charging up another sphere of dark energy, "Now then, Harlequin, prepare for de----"  
  
That, was when the whistling started. Jadeite didn't know what was happening, but he recognized the tune as Peter and the Wolf or at least the opening of it. Though, why someone was whistling it was beyond him, but things got even stranger as Zoisite pointed at the sky just in time to see a man carried by a large bird fly over the courtyard. Next thing Jadeite knew, the man, dressed in a white suit and wearing a white, dove-like mask let go of the large, gray bird and extended one leg forward as he dropped right onto Kunzite's back, knocking the leader of the God-Generals to the ground.  
  
Everyone was in shock as the man simply stood up and went over to Megumi to help her up, acting like he didn't just breach security or knock out a member of the God-Generals. In fact, as Jadeite watched the green-haired man smile, he turned to Kiko to see what he knew of the stranger, only to notice that the hybrid was slack-jawed at the sight of the stranger.  
  
"Do you know him?" Jadeite then asked, only for Kiko to shout.  
  
"Colombino, what the hell are you doing here!?"  
  
The stranger looked at Kiko in confusion for a moment, before giving his answer.  
  
"Why, helping the cutie here, of course!" he said with a grin, causing Kiko to rub his face with a paw before grumbling something in French that Jadeite didn't even understand.  
  
 _"Qu'ais-je fait pour mériter cela?"_  Kiko said, before adding in more understandable Japanese, "I meant, why are you in this world, Bird Brain!? You're supposed to be protecting Princess Lysistrata, not be here and flirt with Megumi!"  
  
"Oh, I'm your back up." Colombino then said, before turning to Megumi and adding, "So, then Cutie, your name is Megumi? That's a lovely name to be sure!~"  
  
"BACK UP!?" Kiko then said, somehow jumping in between Colombino and Megumi. "What do you mean Back Up? Helping the Jesters is my mission, not yours!"  
  
"Well, yes, but Lyssie decided to send me as back up, in case you got hurt or worse let your---" Colombino said, only to be interrupted by a surprisingly deep roar from Kiko.  
  
"Fine! I'll give the princess a call, but don't go talking about that all willy-nilly, that's classified information, remember?" Kiko said before pulling a device from his mane and started fiddling with it. Next, a projection appeared in the courtyard of a woman with light orange hair and blue eyes appeared, wrapped in a towel as her hair was dripping wet, causing Kiko and Colombino to blush quite a bit as they looked away in embarrassment- as did the conscious God Generals save for Jadeite, who was too interested in seeing where this went as he watched.  
  
"Princess Lysistrata," Kiko then said, getting the woman's attention, "I'm sorry to bother you but why is Colombino saying he's my back up?"  
  
"Because I sent him there to help you in case of trouble, Kiko." Lysistrata then said with a smile.  
  
"But... don't you trust me to do this mission?" Kiko said, looking hurt as the princess he spoke with stumbled for words.  
  
"Well, yes, but it never hurts to have help, right?" she said, before looking and spotting Megumi, still in her jester outfit, "Oh! The Harlequin you found looks adorable in her uniform!"  
  
"Uh... yeah..." Kiko said with a sigh, "Thanks for answering my question Princess, I'm hanging up now..."  
  
"Ok!~" Lysistrata then said, before her image vanished from sight. All was quiet as everyone tried to process what had just happened, Kiko wasn't the only being from... wherever he was from to be in Crystal Tokyo, and it seemed that his boss, Princess Lysistrata was the one in charge. Of course, the silence was soon broken by Colombino as he spoke to Megumi.  
  
"So, Megumi, was it?" he then said, "How about you and I have a date to get to know each other better?"  
  
"Um... wh-what?" Megumi said as Nephrite glared daggers at the masked stranger.  
  
"A date, you and me, going out and seeing the town, maybe dinner and a movie?" Colombino then said, "I'm good for any day this week, how about you?"  
  
"Um... I have Sundays free..." Megumi then said, followed by Colombino clapping his hands and smiling.  
  
"Wonderful! I'll see you Sunday then, my cute Harlequin!~" he said before disappearing from sight.  
  
"What... what just happened?" Megumi said then, while Jadeite was sitting there, wondering the exact same thing.  
  
Maybe, Jadeite had finally lost his mind, and this was his new reality. Maybe he was somehow still sane and trapped in a world of dreams. Whatever the case, he was here, and now he had a job to do.  
  
Figure out just what exactly he had to do with his new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.... yeah, Jadeite is back from his eternal sleep. Though, he's very confused about what's going on, poor guy. But on the bright side, Beryl is dead... even if she's been reincarnated as Megumi.
> 
> On second thought, maybe their isn't a bright side. 
> 
> In other news, we meet this story's version of Tuxedo Mask- Colombino. Originally, that role would have been Jadeite's, but I figured an OC would work better since I can't imagine Jadeite actually helping anyone with the role of Sailor Moon.
> 
> Oh, and we meet Kiko's boss, Princess Lysistrata. Named for the Greek Comedy of the same name. What's Lysistrata about, you ask?
> 
> Well... it's an adult comedy about ending a war, where the women of Athens stage a coup and then keep the men out of the city until the war ended. Also, the women withhold sex from the men until they agree.
> 
> Eyup.
> 
> Also, for those wondering what Colombino was about to say in regards to Kiko before the Bunneleon interrupted? Well, let's just say there's more to Kiko than meets the eye.
> 
> Next time! Date preparations with our favorite pink-haired princess!


	8. Date Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chibiusa and Megumi prepare for the big date on Sunday.

It had been a day since Megumi had gotten herself a date with the mysterious Colombino. Though the girl was unsure why she felt obligated to go on a date she never really agreed to, she still figured it might be fun to try at least. Of course, while Nico wanted to cancel the whole affair, Megumi reminded him that if she got into trouble, she would try and use self-defense to keep herself safe. While this meant probably using her magic against a person, Megumi did her best not to worry as she told her best friend Serenity about recent events.  
  
"You got yourself a date!?" she had said in surprise, "I want details about the guy, now!"  
  
"Okay, okay," Megumi said with a laugh, "Well, I don't know much about him, to be honest. He seems to be about 18, age-wise, has mint-green hair and blue eyes. He also wore this white suit and a bird-like mask, and he seems to have this affinity with birds as well."  
  
"Birds? Did he have fairy wings too?" Serenity asked, earning a confused look from Megumi.  
  
"No, no wings of his own, in fact, he came to the palace by a large gray bird I'd never seen before... looked kind of like a giant pigeon, to be honest."  
  
"Where did he get a giant pigeon?" Serenity asked though she seemed a little saddened by Megumi's previous answer.  
  
"No idea, I didn't have time to ask since he drop-kicked Kunzite before flirting with me..." Megumi then said, before running her fingers through her wavy, red hair, "Kiko seemed to know him though."  
  
"So, he's Hybridian?" Serenity then said, "Maybe he used magic to make the pigeon?"  
  
"Yeah," said Megumi, "And probably, but the guy's such an oddball..."  
  
"Well, my parents had a similar relationship back when she was Sailor Moon," Serenity then said, "My father was the mysterious Tuxedo Mask, using weaponized roses to fight off evil, and provide encouragement to Mama."  
  
"Well, Colombino uses birds, so I guess he's not completely using your dad's thing... I think?" Megumi then said with a shrug before eating her parfait in front of the Sweet Dreams Cafe.  
  
"Oh! Maybe it's a past life thing like my parents had!" Serenity then said with a smile, "Think about it, lovers reunited in a new life... doesn't that sound romantic?"  
  
"I... I don't think it's a past life thing," Megumi said nervously, "Maybe he's just an oddball from Hybridia."  
  
"I see," Serenity said in defeat, "Well, I'm also a bit worried about this date so... why don't we find him and make it a double date? I could bring Helios along, and we could have a date together!"  
  
"You... just want to have a date with your boyfriend, don't you?" Megumi then asked, remembering that while Serenity had mentioned the mysterious Helios in the past, she'd never really met the man in person. In fact, there were times when Megumi doubted that Helios even existed, but with how much Serenity talked about the guy, Megumi didn't have the heart to try and break the illusion.  
  
"A little bit," Serenity then said with a smile, "But mostly, I'm worried this could be a trap set by the Beasts of Tragedy or the Desirens and want to keep you safe. I... I don't want to lose another friend, especially now that Hotaru's gone off to Saturn."  
  
"Yeah..." Megumi said, remembering how sad that moment made her friend, and causing Megumi to nod as she finished her Parfait, "Well, I got homework to do, so I should be heading home."  
  
"Hold on a minute-" Serenity then said as she grabbed her friend's hand, "We need to find you a new outfit for your first date."  
  
"What?" Megumi said, "I figured I'd wear something simple, I don't need something extra fancy..."  
  
"It's not going to be fancy, but cute!" Serenity said with a smile as she adjusted the white vest and pink shirt that she wore with a pink skirt, which compared to the school uniform that Megumi wore, showed that they were in different schools.  
  
"Alright," Megumi said, "Maybe we'll run into Colombino while we're shopping as well, maybe then we can chat with him about where we're even going to meet for the date."  
  
"See, I knew you'd see the bright side of things!" Serenity said and after finishing her own parfait, grabbed her school bag and started what she called, Operation: Make Megumi Cute!  
  


(....O....)

  
It didn't take long for them to find the perfect outfit for Megumi, and now the two were looking for Colombino. Though, when they entered the park, they didn't expect to find him so easily as the man in question was busy entertaining kids with a magic show. At the moment, he was juggling small balls while telling a story about what a bird had told him about a man who gave them good bread passing away recently, and how all the bird in the area followed a raven to his grave so that they could attend the funeral.  
  
Then, Colombino turned his juggling balls into flowers and spoke once again.  
  
"Then again," he said, "That's just the story I heard today, so I don't know if it's true- that old man may still be alive."  
  
"But where's the bird that told you this?" said a little girl in the front row as she ate a piece of bubble gum, only for Colombino to smile and with a quick movement of his gloved hands, the flowers he held in his right hand suddenly turned into a lovely looking pigeon who then flew overhead for a moment before landing on Colombino's shoulder.  
  
"Why the bird is right here," he said as he pointed to the pigeon, who seemed to be on the fluffy side as it cooed and nuzzled the man with green hair.  
  
"He's so fluffy!~" the little girl then said, before the bird cooed and flew away, "Aww... I didn't mean to scare it away."  
  
"Oh, don't worry he'll e back tomorrow," Colombino said as he pulled out a wand and made the candy disappear, before replacing it with some bread, "Though, if you want to go feed the birds, I have some bread crumbs for ten yen a bag."  
  
"Hooray!" the little girl then said before pulling out a coin and giving it to the man to get a bag of breadcrumbs in exchange. The other kids soon followed suit and left with their birdfeed to see if they'd see the pigeon again with their parents. Once the crowd of children and parents were cleared away though, Colombino then spotted Megumi and zipped over to her with a smile on his face.  
  
"Oh hello there cutie Megumi!" he said happily, "I was hoping to see you again!"  
  
"You were?" Megumi then said, only for Colombino to nod as he crossed his arms.  
  
"Yep!" he said, "I just remembered that while we have a date Sunday, I forgot to ask where and when you want to meet! How silly of me, don't you think?"  
  
"Um, that's why I was hoping to talk to you, Colombino." Megumi then said, only for the man to blink in surprise as he got worried.  
  
"Oh dear, did something come up?" he asked, "I'll understand if you want to cancel or reschedule our date."  
  
"N-No, that's not it!" Megumi said before she started to stumble through her words, "It's um... well... y-you see..."  
  
"What Megumi's trying to say," Serenity then said, "Is that she wants to turn it into a group date- a way for multiple couples to go together and get to know each other better."  
  
"Oh, I see." Colombino then said as he nodded again, "Also... who are you?"  
  
Serenity flinched at the lack of recognition before remembering that Colombino came from Hybridia and therefore most likely hadn't heard of her. Though, it was oddly refreshing to be asked who she was rather than being recognized immediately.  
  
"I'm Usagi Small Lady Serenity Tsukino, princess of Earth," the pink-haired young lady then said, her red eyes shining with happiness at meeting a new person, "It's nice to meet you, Colombino, please call me Chibiusa."  
  
"Alright Princess Chibiusa, it's nice to meet you too!" Colombino then said, "Anyway, how about our meeting place for the group date?"  
  
"Um, there's the Sweet Dreams Cafe," Megumi then said, "We could meet there at noon on Sunday?"  
  
"Noon on Sunday? I think I can handle that!" Colombino then said with a smile before adjusting his mask, "Well, I'll be seeing you on Sunday then, Cutie Megumi! For now, I bid you adieu!"  
  
With that, he gave a bow and vanished from the sight of the two girls, leaving them alone in the park for the moment. That is until a new voice was heard coming up from behind them.  
  
"Hey, Asakura!" said the voice, which Megumi immediately recognized as Suzaku Kurogane. Blushing as she looked at the ground, Serenity, or rather Chibiusa then looked between the two, before a troubled look crossed her face.  
  
"O-Oh, um, he-hello Suzaku, h-how are you?" Megumi then said, causing the boy with spiked, blue hair to shrug as he answered her.  
  
"I'm alright, though I'm surprised to see you hanging out with someone from another school. I wasn't sure that you even had friends," he said, "Or is this just a coincidence?"  
  
"W-We're friends!" Megumi then said quickly, "R-Right Rini?"  
  
"Rini?" Suzaku then said, before his eyes widened as he recognized the princess, "P-Princess Serenity!? You're friends with the princess!?"  
  
"Y-Yeah," Megumi then said quietly. She honestly had never told anyone in her school that she was friends with the princess, mainly because they most likely wouldn't believe her without proof. Not to mention that since the princess went to a different school, Megumi couldn't really count on her friend to get her out of trouble with people like Goku.  
  
"Huh," Suzaku then said, "I mean, I can understand why you didn't tell anyone, but I guess there's more to you than I thought."  
  
"Oh! Um... th-thank you, Suzaku." Megumi said as she blushed a bit.  
  
"Megumi, don't forget you have a date," Chibiusa then said, causing Megumi to flinch as she really did forget for a moment.  
  
"A date?" Suzaku then said in surprise, "A date with who?"  
  
"None of your business!" Chibiusa then said, causing Suzaku to frown as he spoke again.  
  
"Well excuuuuuse me, Princess Rabbit Ears," he then said, causing Chibiusa to grab at her twin buns, "But I'm just worried about Megumi getting into trouble with a sleaze."  
  
"R-Rabbit ears!?" Chibiusa then said before glaring at the boy, "I'll have you know that Megumi is going on a double date with me and my boyfriend, Helios! She'll be fine!"  
  
"Well I'm still worried, so if this Helios guy is a no-show, I'll happily offer myself as back up, ok?" Suzaku then said irritably.  
  
"Fine!" Chibiusa then said, before turning to Megumi, "Come on Megumi, let's get going, I need something sweet to get this jerk off my mind!"  
  
"O-Okay Rini," Megumi then said, following her friend and leaving Suzaku all alone. It was then, that he realized something.  
  
"Wait," he said to himself, "Did I just sort of get a date with the princess!?"  
  
As he realized that was indeed what happened, he gulped as he remembered what he called her, and quickly slapped himself on the forehead. "Ugh, I am so dead when her parents find out I called her Princess Rabbit Ears, what was I even thinking?"  
  


(....O....)  


"I can't believe he called me Princess Rabbit Ears!" Chibiusa then said as she walked with Megumi back to the Sweet Dreams Cafe.  
  
"He... He probably didn't mean it!" Megumi then said, though, in all honesty, she was not sure why Suzaku was worried about her. She'd never been on his radar before, and even then she only crushed on him from a distance. Though, now that she had a date with someone else, Megumi started to feel conflicted about the date. On one hand, she wanted to go and get to know the mysterious Colombino better, but on the other, she was worried that Suzaku would get jealous- well if he actually liked her anyway. Then again, if Suzaku did come along on the date, then she was also worried about her friend Chibiusa and her relationship with the mystery man Helios.  
  
So far was she into her thoughts, that she didn't notice Lydia Morgan in front of her until the redhead crashed into the white-haired girl.  
  
"Watch it!" Lydia then said, before recognizing the two girls as her teammates. "Oh there you two are, I was hoping we'd start patrols today."  
  
"Actually, we were doing some shopping, but we weren't sure you wanted to join us since it was for Megumi." Chibiusa said, "Also, Lydia can't you relax a little when in your civilian form? Making all things about senshi business will drive you crazy."  
  
"I'll take the suggestion to heart, Princess." Lydia then said, "Though might I ask what was so important for the Jester to have a shopping trip?"  
  
"Um... w-well..." Megumi said, shrinking back from Lydia, "I um... I have a date on Sunday."  
  
"A date?" Lydia asked flatly, "You should have canceled it since we have work to do as protectors of the city, how irresponsible can you be, Megumi?"  
  
"Um... I don't want to cancel my date, it might hurt Colombino's feelings...." Megumi then said, not wanting to hurt anyone in all honesty.  
  
"Are you serious?" Lydia then said as she crossed her arms and glared at the taller girl, "How can someone so weak end up with your power? Maybe that thing Kiko felt sorry for you."  
  
"Th-That's not true!" Megumi then said, doing her best to keep herself from accidentally setting Lydia on fire, "One of Kiko's philosophies is that anyone can have the power to change and that in his show, even the shyest person can get the encouragement they need to come out of their shell!"  
  
"Encouragement is nice, but it won't do anything for you on the battlefield," Lydia said coldly, "Remember, we're supposed to be a unit, not just a team."  
  
"Well, I think Megumi should go on her date," Kiko then said, surprising everyone as he popped out of Megumi's schoolbag, "Sure, I don't like Colombino that much, but I think Megumi should make her own judgment about the man, rather than go on other people's opinions."  
  
"Th-Thanks Kiko!" Megumi said as she picked the bunneleon up and hugged him, causing Kiko to smile as he hugged her back.  
  
"Not a problem!" he said, only for Spectra to kill the moment as she spoke next.  
  
"You realize that your date will be a disaster if a monster strikes, don't you?" she said, "In fact, save for the Princess, we're not allowed to reveal our identities to civilians, Jester, so don't forget that."  
  
"You sound like you're speaking from experience there," Chibiusa then said, causing Spectra to flinch and simply turn around as she began walking away.  
  
"Whatever, I'll go patrol on my own!"  
  
Once she was gone, the two girls continued their shopping trip until it was time for Megumi to get on home.  
  


(....O....)  


His name was Izuku Fukase, and he was a writer of a mediocre fantasy series about magical waitresses called  _Sugar Hearts_. It was a decent story with a few fans, but as he read the reviews in the paper, he sighed as he saw that once again, Masato Sanjoin's latest entry in the Swan Lake saga had hit the top of the charts for the Light Novel business.  
  
"I just don't know how he does it!" Izuku then said as he adjusted his thick glasses and sat down to type the next chapter of his next novel in the series, "Maybe it's the characterization? Or maybe the setting? I'm trying to be original, but no one seems to appreciate my work! Well, I'm sure someone does, but maybe I should try killing off the mascot, Beet-chan? That might get the fans riled up..."  
  
As he worked late into the night, he read over his work so far and hummed in appreciation that it looked right in comparison to his story notes. However, he couldn't help but sigh and look at the window of his cheap apartment. It was one thing to be a decent writer with a publisher, but even the sales of  _Sugar Hearts_  barely made ends meet, forcing him to work a second job as an accountant during the day.  
  
"I wish I could be as good as Masato Sanjoin..." he said to himself before he got back to work, only to hear a tinkle of bells come from behind him. As he turned around, he saw what looked like a man dressed like an old general in full uniform and a sword at his side. His boots were black and polished to a mirror shine, while he wore yellow epaulets over a black swallowtail coat over white pants. He had a series of medals on his breast, and his hat looked like a tricorn with a white cockade. Izuku didn't know if he was dreaming but as the taller man took off his hat and revealed a short crop of short, purple hair, the writer felt oddly inspired to write about this mysterious general- perhaps as a villain in his next book?  
  
"Who...who are you?" Izuku then felt the courage to ask.  
  
"Call me General Titus, you're Fairy Godfather," the general then said loudly with an exaggerated bow, "I am here to grant your wish, Izuku Fukase!"  
  
"Wh-What?" Izuku then said in confusion, before remembering the new reports of the Desirens. As he paled a bit, he then realized that his wish to be as good as his rival, the mysterious Masato Sanjoin, was about to cause him trouble. "No! I take it back!"  
  
"Too late!" Titus said as he pointed dramatically at Izuku, causing the man to freeze in place as the world around them started to look like the set of a stage play, followed by a spotlight appearing over Izuku's body from somewhere. Next, Izuku felt a pain in his chest, followed by an immense amount of pain as he felt like something was trying to claw its way out of his soul as Titus's hand started to glow as he offered it- not for Izuku to take, but something else that was stirring to life.  
  
All Izuku could do was scream as the general started to laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in this chapter, things kind of happen. I also feel like I've gotten myself out of a writing slump, and so hopefully this chapter is enjoyable. 
> 
> Also, it seems that Spectra's got some bad memories she's hiding, going by her comment about dates being ruined by monsters...
> 
> Oh, and we learn how Titus makes a desiren- hope it's nice and creepy for you, Sailor Moon Fans!
> 
> Anywho, next time on Jesters of the Moon, Nephrite has a chat with an old friend, what could possibly go wrong?


End file.
